I have been contacted by many local residents asking me to help in relation to the Allendale Museum of Sci-Fi. The background is that the planners at the County Council have raised breaches of planning regulations. Clearly all planning is a local authority matter, so I can only flag up concerns raised with me, but I have spoken at length with the local County Councillor, Colin Horncastle, who met with the owner of the museum on Saturday. I am hopeful that a common sense solution can be found, by working with Colin Horncastle, the planning authority and the local community, so that they will be able to find a sensible way forward.
As a local MP I start from from the principle that any new attraction, which brings a positive economic impact to the area, whether in Allendale or elsewhere, should be both encouraged and supported. There is no doubt that this business is both busy, and bringing in many new visitors to the town. This is a good thing. I am, on the other hand, aware that that there are genuine planning problems with the present set up of the museum. But I have written to the planning department, asking them to try and find a compromise way forward.
