Retail giant Aldi has been given another chance by Kirklees councillors after a planning mix-up.

A portion of  land at the site entrance was not in the ownership of the applicant –   something described as a “genuine  error”.

Councillors on the Huddersfield Planning Sub-Committee voted eight vs eight in favour of giving the applicant chance to serve the correct land ownership certificates. It was passed on the casting vote of the chair, Clr Cliff Preest.

A vote to invalidate the application was lost eight votes against eight, again, with the chair's casting vote swaying the application.

Resident Victoria Minton, urged councillors: "All along there have been big questions that have not been answered, everything we have put forward had been dismissed or ignored. The needs of developer has always been favoured ahead of needs of community.

"Please restore public confidence and chose option one (to invalidate)."

Clr Nicola Turner, Colne Valley Lib Dem, said: "Yesterday the ward councillors had a meeting about the 20mph zone Slaithwaite. There is a public consultation in January but how can it be open to public consultation when it's a condition of the planning approval?

"'I'm struggling with the concept that the applicant spent £60,000 buying the strip land but didn't think to buy the other half.

"How can the public have confidence in the democratic process when what they are being consulted on is a condition already agreed?

"It has all been piecemeal and not very well put together. Lets have a chance to look at this again."

Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney asked for councillors to invalidate the application, saying it provided a chance to give the Slaithwaite community confidence the council was following the correct procedure and allow the process to re-start.

The agent for Aldi said it was "a simple misunderstanding" and added: "It relates to publicity. The nature and extent of the titles has not beating on the planning merits."

See how the planning meeting panned out with our liveblog from Huddersfield Town Hall.