In any event I think the Planners and the Council will bottle it and send the whole application off to a Planning Inquiry so that they can absolve themselves of the responsibility of making a decision.
It seems likely. And then they'll be the very same people who complain that power has been taken away from the "elected representatives of the people". With power comes responsibility. If you don't have the balls to make tough and unpopular decisions, don't seek the power to do so.