Councils often are powerless though. You can have 100k people sign a petition or object but it doesn't go on who is unhappy about it, there are certain planning rules that need to be followed, and developers know exactly how to craft an application. If the planners review it and it meets the guidelines, they cant decline it. Or more accurately they can decline it, but at appeal they have to defend the reason why and it will get overturned if no real reason why, and the council has to pay the developers costs. This costs our local councils quite a chunk of change in recent years, and it was a change brought in by the conservatives to simplify planning laws.
Ironically, every time planning for something gets approved, we get the whole "brown paper envelopes" line trotted out, despite the fact it was brought in to please tory donors, but the powerless councils cant really do anything about the majority of cases they would otherwise like to decline. It's a bit like council tax rises, where the councils get the blame despite massive funding cuts from central government over the past 15 years. I think stockton council gets about £80m less a year but everyone makes a fuss over the cost of high street improvements, the globe, the Hilton etc, but they could do those projects several times a year with the money they've lost in funding, which is precisely why they have to do so in order to try replace lost revenue
meanwhile saddled with debt for the airport and air travel is looking peachy for the next few years obviously.....but everyone loves that because its PROPPA TEEESSIDE INNIT.