Without
any doubt at all, the appearance of brilliant yellow signs outside a new cab
office in Bexley Village, created in advance of planning permission by the son
of deputy council leader Colin Campbell, has provoked more telephone calls than
any other subject reported here. Not knowing the area intimately I have struggled to
keep up with developments but it has seemed a little bit like the Wild West at times.
We have had Baddies knocking on Goodies’ doors attempting to influence the
result of next Thursday’s Planning Meeting, intimidation was the word being
used to describe the visits and the introductory “Do you know who I am?” was the common theme.
Other reports speak of the yellow signs being moved because of a
falling out between landlords and tenants. Today’s photo shows they have been
moved from the frontage of the hardwoods shop to the taxi office and in
retrospect it does seem a little odd to have put the cab office signs on a
neighbour’s premises, but then arrogance and high-handedness
has been the cause of the entire scandal.
My view that the Planning Committee Meeting will be an anti-climax
and the sheriff has little choice but to gun the application down is not shared by the village
posse who claim the outlaws are letting it be known they have a surprise in store.
Will the gang-leader be able to railroad another of
their bullion trains through this one-horse town or will the Campbells dangle on
the end of a rope? Metaphorically of course.