Able to call on various experts in their fields, the secretary of state's office can then make a balanced and impartial decision.

I think the application by German-owned company Palm Paper for a £330 million paper mill on the banks of the river at South Lynn falls into this category.

And I think West Norfolk Council has been too hasty to come to a decision to approve, wooed, possibly, by the prospect of the potential economic benefits.

Jobs for 150 people are not to be sneezed at. Although I'm not getting too excited about the further 150 jobs in associated industry, as they may well be out of the area.

But balanced against that must be the already-admitted noise nuisance to be generated round the clock, possible pollution and the effects of extracting vast quantities of water from the Relief Channel.

This, in particular, must be a major concern, especially in a drought year which we may expect as global warming and climate change continue to creep ever closer to home.

We have already heard in previous years that too much water from this area is diverted for domestic water use in Essex. It parts company with this area at Denver.

That, and decreased rainfall, has led to claims that not enough fresh water is being allowed into the River Great Ouse to prevent siltation.

In places, at low tide, sand banks have built up in the river that are a hazard to navigation.

At times the cross-river ferry has to be accessed via duckboards and available water is barely enough to keep it and its passengers clear of the river bed.

There are also concerns that commercial traffic accessing the port has the hazards of silting to deal with.

Initially, the paper plant will extract 4.2 million gallons a day, but only 3.3 million gallons will be put back into the river. That's a daily loss of water to the tune of 900,000 gallons, or 328 million gallons a year, give or take the odd half million. More when the plant installs a second paper-making machine. That's a lot of lost water. Has anyone calculated the effect that will have on the supply of drinking water to Essex (or anywhere) in a drought year, or the effect it will have on the river's natural ability to sluice itself clear of silt?
And are nearby residents, and possibly those further away given that the discharge chimney will be 70 metres high, comforted by councillors' desire that emissions should not be poisonous?

Are they also to be comforted in South Lynn that night-time noise from the plant will be noticeable, but should only be a minor nuisance? You have to wonder whether it's the kind of minor noise nuisance councillors living in more upmarket parts of the district would be happy to tolerate.

Council leader Nick Daubney remains impressed by "the biggest investment in the East of England for easily more than a decade" while those who failed to show the courage of their convictions and abstained from voting wanted a deferral to allow more time to research all the implications.

I know nothing about paper mills, but a quick search on the Internet appears to show they come with a history of pollution problems. Any problems allowed now will be with us for a long time to come. More time should have been spent examining this application.

I've seen my first HIPs pack (that's Home Information Pack for the uninitiated, and, by law, all home sellers must have one from December 14).

The cost of preparation of a HIP to the seller of a three-bedroomed bungalow is around £300. And they are an expensive exercise in stating the bl**ding obvious.

The person of my acqaintance who had to shell out had already agreed a sale price with her purchaser about three weeks before the HIP could be made available.

Among the wonderful information to be divulged is the construction of the property – brick, slate, double-glazed windows – its sewage and drainage arrangements and its local council and water supplier's names and addresses. The sort of information anyone with eyes, half a brain cell and a phone book could discover in a few moments.

The energy and environmental rating report was similary laughable, especially the recommendations for improving the situation which included cost savings for installing home solar water heating and even rooftop electricity-generating paraphernalia. Shame it did not also reveal how much such installations would cost and how many decades the payback period would be.

I want a contract like Steve McClaren's: Sacked for being useless by failing to get the national football team into its first major tournament in 14 years, costing the country £2 billion in lost revenue AND still picking up a £2.5 million pay-off. Good job!