Battles over building supermarkets in the Highlands are leading to fears that councillors are being intimidated and the local authority overspending its public inquiries budget by more than £100,000.

"People power" protests have led to concern councillors are being pushed into voting against the advice of their own officials on controversial supermarket applications.

The resulting appeals have led to a series of costly public inquiries and planning decisions being overturned by ministers.

Highland Council will overspend its inquiry budget by at least 220% by the end of the month.

The most recent example is in Tain where Tesco was refused permission for its proposed car-parking provision for a store near the centre of the Easter Ross town. This was against the recommendation of planners, but then 200 members of the public attended and made their presence felt. Last year the same local planning committee had given Tesco outline permission for the store, albeit by one vote.

One man who was present told the Herald that the role the public played in the meeting had deeply troubled him.

He said: "It was obvious that the officials were really quite stunned and shocked, while some of the councillors were quite simply frightened. I was opposed to Tesco getting permission. The traffic and parking issues clearly made it the wrong site. That was the clear local consensus.

"But this was no way to conduct business, no matter what you think about the power of Tesco. It is not easy to argue sensibly when you are being booed and hissed at by members of the public. If decision-making meetings like this are to be held in local communities, there will have to be policing or security."

Highland Council is concerned that Tesco, with its outline permission in place, will now appeal, triggering yet another ministerial call-in and a costly public inquiry. Tain would be the fifth inquiry ordered in under two years. As it is the council is set to spend more than £161,000 instead of the £50,000 it had budgeted for inquiries in this financial year. And this at a time when it has lost £1m in income from planning applications and building warrant fees because of the recession.

But it is not only Tain and Tesco.

David Henderson, Liberal Democrat councillor for the Inverness Ness-side ward said: "There have been two occasions now it has come home to me. The Sainsbury application in Nairn and the Asda one in Inverness were approved against officials' recommendations and went to inquiry. I felt the officials had made their case. They are not infallible, but they are very professional and there has to be a very good reason to go against their advice. In neither case did I see such a reason.

"I know that councillors on planning committees are subject to a great deal of public pressure. At both these meetings there was a strong public presence giving encouragement, some might say tantamount to intimidation.

"But planning is a special part of our responsibilities. It means we have to leave personal, and even our constituents' preferences at the door.

"What the public doesn't always understand is that the planning permission attaches to the land. One company might get permission one week, and sell out to their bitter rival the week after."

Much of the heat appears to be generated by a local perception that planners are somehow more accommodating to the Tesco retail juggernaut than its rivals.

The news last week that the company managed to fight off a "competition test", which would have allowed planners to take into account the number of the retailer's stores and those of rivals within a 10-minute drive, has done nothing to dent that view.

But even before that decision or this month's Tain meeting, local Easter Ross councillor Alasdair Rhind had said at a public gathering: "It's about time we had an inquiry about Tesco ... I feel there must be something between Highland Council and Tesco. It saddens me to say that of Highland Council, but that's how I feel after the way I've seen officials selling Tesco proposals."

Mr Rhind's comments and those of other councillors are known to have infuriated both the council's planning department and transport, community and environmental services who approved Tesco's plans for traffic management and parking. It is understood some officials believe the comments to be defamatory.

However Mr Rhind told The Herald: "I am still pursuing the fact I wasn't allowed to vote in the meeting because of my comments.

"I still want an inquiry into the matter as it wasn't handled well by the council. But I don't believe councillors were intimidated.

"The public made their views known. They weren't allowed to speak but they did clap and were annoyed on other occasions. The councillors clearly thought this was not the right site for Tesco."

Ian Ross, Highland's planning chairman wasn't at the Tain meeting. But he was concerned by the number of public inquiries, though there were occasions when councillors did have material concerns not recognised by officials.

Councillors must determine planning applications in accordance with the local development plan or planning blueprint, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Supermarket battlegrounds

Nairn, Balnakeith: Sainsbury's wanted to build a supermarket. Officers recommended refusal because would undermine policy for strong town centre; councillors voted for approval. Scottish ministers called in the application as it was contrary to the local development plan. An inquiry is due to start mid June. Inverness, Slackbuie: Planners recommended refusal of Asda's plans for a supermarket, as it was against the local plan. Councillors approved the application. Scottish ministers called in the application and ordered an inquiry. The outcome is awaited. Inverness, Telford Street: Aldi store was recommended for approval by officers as consistent with the local plan, but rejected by councillors and then approved following a public inquiry. Thurso: Rival plans for supermarkets at Pennyland (Asda) and the Auction Mart (Tesco). After a public inquiry, Tesco won the day with a permission for the Auction Mart, which was developer-led. Inverness, Ness-side: Tesco were refused permission for a big store They lost an appeal then came back for permission for a smaller store. After review by the strategic planning committee, permission was granted. Skye, Portree: planners recommended refusal of a store at Home Farm (for Tesco) because it was deemed an out-of-town development, but councillors approved the application. Ministers decided not to call in this application Click here to comment on this story...