Exclusive: Sainsbury's planning application - could the public inquiry be deferred? Plus Co-op issues...

Thanks to Spurtle for this story. The Gurn can confirm that the DPEA reporter is considering an application to defer the Public Inquiry set to go ahead next month.

The Gurn also understands that with Pettifer Estates recently having gone bust it is likely that it is the Administrators of the company that have requested a deferral.

Here's more from our correspondent Spurtle:

'It appears that the authorities don't like to defer hearings though, unless the circumstances are extraordinary. Looks like we'll have to wait to see if they do in this case..Meanwhile the Co-op have secured the sale of 90 Somerfield stores, in the process of their takeover. This was a requirement from the OFT, one of the conditions to be satisfied to allow the takeover to go ahead, without referring the matter to the Monopolies and Mergers commission. Nairn's not on the list though - so we need to watch this space to see what the Co-op decide to do. Word is that they may consider the re-development of the Somerfield site themselves .Spurtle, Mrs Spurtle and the Spurt would be quite happy with a bigger , shiny new Co-op. By far the most ethical of the big players , though that phrase is ,in itself, a tad oxymoronic, when talking about supermarkets . Sainsbury's and the Pettifer situation will no doubt be a factor in their decisions though . Let's hope that something posititve can come out of this mess.

'What a tangled web we weave

Go 'round with circumstance

Someone show me how to tell the dancer

From the dance'
( spot of Eagles there, for Nairnbairn)

Spurtle'