No kittens were harmed in the making of this column

No one has a bad word to say. Nine years ago the company declared an interest in coming to Sprucefield. I’m sure they didn’t expect it to be all systems go from the start. With remarkable patience they have tolerated all systems slow.

Now that Sprucefield has been declared all systems no for their proposed development they have understandably withdrawn. Alex Attwood as Planning Minister is getting the blame. In many quarters he could only have been less popular if he’d drowned some kittens on the six o’clock news.

Alex says that his decision only to allow big box items to be sold in the next phase of any development at Sprucefield is a reflection of existing planning policy. Large scale flagship retail should not be permitted in out of town centres and such a prestigious offering as John Lewis should only be allowed in Belfast which is our regional capital.

If anyone knows what established policy is it should be the Planning Minister. His ministerial colleagues, especially the First Minister, take different views. They express outrage. I haven’t been able to figure out if this is because they feel that Alex has invented a new policy or because he has misinterpreted established policy. Perhaps they feel that some sort of an exception should have been made for John Lewis given the scale of their development proposal.

What is clear is that they feel that Alex shouldn’t have been able to make his decision without the approval of other Executive ministers. He has gone off on a frolic of his own. Solo runs have been a feature of ministerial behaviour in the past. Remember how the 11-plus was scrapped? At Executive level there seems to be a fine line between indignation and hypocrisy. The Executive is not a team so how can team rules apply?

I happen to think that Alex Attwood’s decision about the characteristics of the development at Sprucefield in the future is right. I think he arrived at a sustainable interpretation of existing policy. I don’t see the decision as having been based on pure personal preference or ego. Not all politicians are happy with Alex but he made a decision which is more than anyone else has been prepared to do for the last nine years. He didn’t say John Lewis wasn’t welcome in Northern Ireland. Just not at Sprucefield. No kittens were harmed in the making of the decision.

John Lewis at Sprucefield would have been like having Barack Obama coming round for dinner. The prestige would have been immense. So too, unfortunately, would the associated disruption.

Banbridge and other similar towns whose retailers are struggling to survive would have suffered hugely. More trade would have haemorrhaged. Local jobs and businesses would have been lost. In Banbridge we are struggling to achieve a sustainable balance between shopping opportunities in the superstore discount environment and opportunities in a vibrant independent town with character and personality.

We are trying to sustain a town that people value. This takes thought and strategy. We should applaud Alex Attwood for having behaved thoughtfully and strategically. It is what we should expect from our ministers.