THE developer who built a house without planning permission in Ingleby Arncliffe, near Northallerton, deserves little sympathy.

The house is undoubtedly handsome and possibly worth every penny of the £350,000 valuation placed on it, but Hambleton Council decided it was too big for its village setting and refused to grant the developer retrospective planning permission, a position which was this week was supported by the inspector who heard the developer's appeal against the original council decision.

The inspector's decision is gratifying because it shows the planning system - much maligned for all sorts of different reasons - does work. In this case the district council's planning committee had the courage to stick to its policies and the risk an appeal which if lost would have landed the authority with a hefty bill for costs.

Local planning committees often feel intimidated by the threat of lost appeals and capitulate to developers who have pushed the planning regulations to the limit and beyond. All credit to Hambleton Council for sticking to its principles.