A MORRISONS supermarket director has heaped criticism on Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities, for not calling a public inquiry into plans for a new Saints stadium and Tesco supermarket.

In a stance which has angered Saints chiefs and fans, the Yorkshire-based firm objected to the proposals on planning grounds after applications were submitted to St Helens Council last year.

Following Blears’ ruling, Roger Owen, group property director of Morrisons, accused the cabinet minister of diluting planning standards.

In a statement he said: “We have noted the Minister’s decision to allow the local planning authority to determine the three planning applications relating to the new stadium, redevelopment of Knowsley Road and the significantly larger replacement superstore, subject to conditions to be imposed by St Helens Borough Council.

“As I have said on several occasions, our objections here were to the retail elements of the proposals which are contrary to national planning policy including the recent proposed revisions to that policy, and the Minister appears to be contradicting her own legislative guidance.

“This is not the first time that the Minister has done so and she appears to be diluting the standards and guidelines against which planning applications should be judged, including very recently proposed guidelines and standards.

“As far as my company is concerned, if the Secretary of State remains consistent in this apparently new approach and set against the rulings from the Competition Commission following its recent investigation into our industry, this new Ministerial judgment gives my company much optimism for the future. But I am sure that there are many in our industry and equally many other planning authorities who will view this judgment with significant concern.”

Responding to the claims a spokesman for the Government Office for the North West said: “Most planning decisions are rightly taken by local councils.

"Decisions to call them in happen very rarely where there is a significant conflict with planning policy.”

The spokesman added that of the 786 cases forwarded to the Government in the past year only 36 (five per cent) were called in.