CITY councillors have been heavily criticised for not attending a planning meeting to justify their decisions on key applications.

At a Southern Area Planning Committee meeting earlier this month, Wiltshire councillors singled out their city counterparts for not showing up to put forward their views.

Items on the agenda of the meeting on January 12 included extension plans for the White Hart Hotel, a two-restaurant piazza plan in Avon Row and a two-home development in the back garden of a house in Harnham.

Speaking about the White Hart's plans, Councillor Chris Devine highlighted the lack of information from Salisbury City Council - councillors failed to send in any response to the application.

Cllr Devine said: "I would have liked some direction from the city council. They represent the people who live there and to those people, I would ask where are your representatives, apart from Cllr Tomes [a member of the Southern Area Planning Committee] who is here."

When it came to an application to build two four-bedroom houses in the back garden of a home in Britford Lane, Harnham, to which the city council objected on grounds of overdevelopment, Councillor Richard Clewer said: "We haven't got anybody here to speak for the city council planning committee.

"While they have commented, we had someone attend from Steeple Langford regarding their plans and I can see people from Wilton [for the EV Naish plans].

"The views of the parish are important in planning and it would really help us to get those views put across via a person when we are discussing this sort of development.

"We keep saying it but we keep saying it for a reason."

And speaking about the piazza scheme, Cllr Brian Dalton prefaced his remarks with: "I'll join in the criticism of Salisbury City Council, where are they? They've said they support it and they're not here.

"And another criticism, this was called in by the local member, where is he too? He's not here.

"I think it's very bad, and very bad for the local people."

The city council supported the application subject to conditions such as restrictions on delivery times and opening times. It was called in by Councillor Atiqul Hoque.