Chris Wells writes on the China Gateway decision on Thursday

Chris Wells, district councillor for Viking Ward Broadstairs, ponders a difficult week ahead for Thanet councillors.

Here he writes his thoughts on the subject:

"In just two days time, on the evening of Thursday October 9, Thanet council will be called upon to make a planning decision about the China Gateway application.

"If you are not aware of this, then one must presume you have been living under a stone with ear defenders on for the last few weeks. The airwaves, the letterboxes, inboxes, and newsprint pages have been filled with, largely uninformed, though very concerned, comment.

"Uninformed because whatever concerns people may have, we all have to remember this is a planning decision, and the boundaries of what can and can't be done are to be found in planning law and regulation.

"This makes the considerations by councillors, and the potential debate, probably rather more stilted than many opponents of the scheme might expect, and it is vital that people monitoring and observing the debate understand this point.

"If the application is to be approved, it must be within the frameworks and guidelines that come from planning regulation; if it is to overturned, or altered, again the decisions must be based on planning requirements.

"There can be no pressure, or party political whipping applied to such a decision, and councillors are at liberty to come to their own conclusions about their individual decision, based on what they see as the merits of the application in front of them. Those who have already declared their view will have to leave the room and take no part in the decision.

"This is a serious moment for the council, and for all the people they represent. Any decision could be subject to review by higher authority, such as the Secretary of State, and the reasons for any decision must be clear, and linked solely to planning considerations.

"This is clearly the biggest decision of this type the council has taken since the inception of the Westwood Cross development. All of Thanet's residents live with the consequences of that decision, both good and bad, every day, and similar mixed consequences will inevitably stem from any decision taken this week.

"It is a good moment for councillors to avoid the noise and confusion of recent weeks, and take a few moments of calm to weigh up the pros and cons of their coming decision personally and carefully. It is a decision that must be made not in our usual ward representative roles, but as representatives of the Isle of Thanet as a whole, because this is something that surely touches all our lives in one way or another.

"It will be a decision that will surely cut across party lines, as many planning decisions do, as all struggle to declare a position they will have to defend on the streets when talking to residents.

"Personally, at school and university, I always found the best way to prepare for exams and tests was to get away from the fevered concerns of other entrants, and spend the days before an exam with people not involved. Coincidentally, I have managed to achieve that this week, in London, Salford, and Rochdale until the day of the debate on Thursday.

"It will give me time to reflect and be ready to listen openly to all the arguments prior to casting my vote. It will be a fascinating evening; having called for live webcasting of the event, I understand we may be limited to a recorded version available soon after, but that will at least enable all who wish to hear the full rationales for councillors views and positions for themselves, not through the eyes and ears of others.

"I am tempted to finish with those famous words from the end of every Dave Allen show... and may your God go with you… but perhaps the words of the Serenity Prayer are even more apt: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

"Often, in our Council Chamber wisdom seems in short supply...none of us can afford it to be like that this week."