OSCAR Van Nooijen’s mea culpa over being one of the councillors responsible for approving the Castle Mill flats may have played well with campaigners, but there still needs to be action rather than words.

Mr Van Nooijen was the chairman of the committee that waved through the application for the university flats that so many people – and indeed a retrospective environmental impact assessment – believe has blighted certain parts of our skyline.

He stood up at a meeting on Thursday seeking that the blame for this whole council debacle should fall on councillors rather than officers.

It was a noble sentiment but officers should be held just as responsible because Mr Van Nooijen also said he didn’t realise the likely impact of the buildings in Roger Dudman Way.

The sequence of events in the days before the fateful meeting – including a report highlighting the issue not being presented to councillors – was less than satisfactory at best.

The council blundered spectacularly and this week’s campaign meeting once again demonstrated how much of a mess it is in.

Mr Van Nooijen was guarded as he said it was possible the council could revoke planning permission but then the university would probably come at it with all guns blazing.

There are these three mitigating options sugg-ested by the environmental impact assessment, yet the council again seems to be at the mercy of the university because Mr Van Nooijen said it cannot actually force anything through.

There still needs to be accountability on this.

Whilst, ultimately, taxpayers will have to foot the bill, the council must reasonably fight for some mitigation. It cannot just be allowed to meekly shrug its shoulders and slither out of this by claiming it would cost too much to rectify.