It is good news that plans for new visitor facilities at the Cow and Calf Rocks have been approved. The bad news is that they are much scaled down plans from the original which would have seen a truly modern visitor centre and café.

The former Yorkshire Water building will be demolished to make way for a new snack kiosk and the all-important public toilets.

The original plan had widespread support but was scuppered at a meeting of the planning panel. We are still waiting for the members involved in making the decision to explain why it was rejected.

For some reason the approval still has a number of bizarre conditions attached, including the existing kiosk in the public car park must be demolished once the new snack bar is complete and the new building must not be used as a restaurant in the future.

Well done to Toni Falconi for sticking with his belief that a development was needed.

The approval was granted by planning officers acting under delegated powers — an issue which on another front is causing concern to Ilkley Civic Society.

They say that important planning decisions affecting Ilkley are being delegated to council officers not familiar with the area.

They fear a lack of consistency as more and more planning matters are centralised.

Members say they can no longer gather to study drawings and related written documents and instead have to view them online. Bradford Council says changes have been made to make the system more efficient and cost-effective to taxpayers.

A spokesman explains that smaller scale applications, without strong objections, can be dealt with under delegated powers — but all other plans go before area planning committees. It is only fair and right that members of the public have full access to all information, especially if a plan has a direct effect on them. The sad fact is that even if the plans have full public support they can be rejected on the whim of a small number of councillors on a planning committee.