Newcastle City Council has deferred its decision on the Cell A/B1 application until Friday 12th January 2018. Councillors concluded the last minute publication of a supplemental report, yesterday afternoon, did not allow enough time for members to fully consider the application, which was described as 'incredibly complicated' by one member of the committee. Yesterday we wrote to the planning department highlighting the ways in which the council had misinterpreted and misapplied national planning policy in relation to Green Belt, as set out in the NPPF. The council appears to have taken our comments - and case law - on board. We have written to the Secretary of State to request he calls in the application for his own determination. Vast swathes of Newcastle's Green Belt were deleted when the Core Strategy was drawn up, which was contentious enough at the time. That Newcastle Great Park Consortium wants to grab more Green Belt - not released in the Core Strategy - simply beggars belief.