By JULIA RAVENSCROFT
A STOCKTON Heath parish councillor has spoken out against the recommendations of colleagues and welcomed the restaurant development in Victoria Square.
Graham Roughsedge, who has lived in the village for 62 years and was a community policeman for 18 years, was the only councillor to vote for approval of the £8 million development.
He believes the restaurant plans would bring investment to surrounding businesses and criticised a pamphlet against the development circulated by the Friends of Stockton Heath, claiming that much of the information is incorrect.
He said: "There will obviously be an increase in anti-social behaviour but not necessarily in or around the new restaurants.
"These will never be fast food outlets in fact the developers have made a commitment to the borough and parish council."
Clr Roughsedge, who has been involved in the parish council for the past few years, said that top-class restaurants would not pay rents of £100,000 per year or spend up to £1m on furnishings and fittings if they thought they may go out of business.
He criticised comparison of the development with large complexes, commenting: "The people using the argument of size do not know the floor area of Mr Smith's nor the Trocadero. These are not restaurants they are nightclubs and amusement centres and they are not relevant to this discussion."
He said there could be up to eight restaurants but the eventual number could be as few as five or six if the operators want more space.
He has also argued that nightly use of nearby car parks is hardly 25 to 50 per cent and that the surplus cars will not park in Victoria Road or London Road on the double yellow lines.
He said: "It is the right of the public to argue against anything which affects their lifestyle but it gets a little out of hand when people who represent, or want to represent you, the public who do not live in the area raise spurious arguments for political ends."
Clr Graham Roughsedge who has spoken out in support of the Victoria Square development IPA20101
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