THE shortcomings of our planning system may well bubble over in the New Year as Barrow Borough Council grapples with an application for an Islamic Prayer Centre in Dalton.

Just this summer, Barrow councillors voted unanimously to adopt the Barrow Borough Local Plan.

In the simplest terms, this legal document earmarks various plots of vacant land around the borough for potential future uses, anything from new housing to employment sites.

What that means is that fields from Barrow to Dalton and many areas in between, have been flagged for development - if the builders and developers decide to come forward with potential plans.

The houses being built off Hawcoat Lane near the stone trough are a case in point.

Other areas have been set aside for new employment land. Those are offered up in the hope of wooing companies to set up shop or encouraging existing ones to expand.

And here’s the crux of the matter - the local plan appears to contain what amounts to get-out clauses if no business shows an interest.

It’s here that Dalton Town Council plans to argue that an application for an Islamic Prayer and Community Centre does not meet the definition of employment and on these grounds Barrow Borough Council should refuse.

It will be an intriguing test case.