THE leader of the opposition in Brentwood is demanding that all of the borough’s councillors get a say on the Crossrail planning application when it is lodged next month.

Louise McKinlay, leader of the Conservative group in Brentwood, believes the application should be debated at a full council meeting, given the “significant impact” it will have on the whole area.

Key points of the multi-billion pound project, which will link Shenfield to central London and as far west as Reading, were decided in Westminster, but the Conservatives had hoped that all councillors would be able to voice an opinion on finer details, such as routes taken by lorries and the times they will be allowed to move.

But Ms McKinlay was denied when the council failed to back her motion. She said: “As it stands, the usual process would mean that the application would be decided by unelected council officers and for such a significant scheme, this is just wrong.”

Barry Aspinell, leader of Brentwood Council, said: “A royal warrant gave planning permission all the way down the line for this.

“A section allows local authorities to discuss parts of planning, such as construction traffic and screening of the site, but that’s about it.

“The Tories want this discussed at full council at the cost of thousands to the electorate. It’s just delaying