I’m delighted to note that common sense seems to have at long last prevailed with regards to the tennis court in Neilson Park (‘Proposal for extra tennis court at Neilson Park now served up’, October 3).

I don’t think that anyone would disagree with the need to either upgrade or replace the existing tennis courts, as they are well past their sell by date. However, the ‘plan’ put forward by the Friends of Neilson Park and supported by the Haddington Community Development Trust and HADAS, and vigorously promoted by an official from the council’s Landscape and Countryside department with a limited understand of planning matters, was ill thought-out.

The original planning application was never going to be considered, not because it would have resulted in the wholesale destruction of the formal and amenity part of the public park (hedge rows would have been ripped up, trees felled, flower beds removed, along with a perfectly good and expensive footpath, and lighting taken up just to be moved a few feet); important though they might be to the general public, including myself, these issues were not ‘material consideration’ in the process of determining this application.

The failure of this unfortunate planning application was to do with the application proposing to squeeze the four tennis courts into a limited space surrounded by mature trees, trees with large canopies and equally large root networks.

If the official from Landscape and Countryside had taken the trouble to consult with professional staff within the council who had the request expertise and qualifications to give a considered opinion on the proposals in advance of submitting the planning application, he would have been made aware of the facts that would have stopped the application in its tracks.

He chose not to follow this sensible course of action, but never mind, it was not him that was paying for the time spent and resources used to come up with this application, it was you, the general public, who as usual picked up the bill.

In future, the Friends of Neilson Park should really try consulting beyond just the existing sports groups using the park, HADAS and Haddington Community Development Trust and included those people (the general public) who just like to enjoy the open space. They should also try seeing the park not in isolation but as an important component part of a wider integrated sport and amenity ‘complex’ of the town.

I believe if they take this whole town approach their unquestionably good intention might better help realise their objectives.

Maybe in future the council will endeavour to use an official up to the job when dealing with complicated and potentially contentious issues such as this one.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing the new tennis court being located on the site of the existing courts and the fourth court replacing the skateboard halfpipe.

Charles Ingle Ross’s Close Haddington