It is true that on any planning matter there will be lots of conflict: developers vs. neighbours, activists vs. politicians, private-side planners vs. municipal planners, architects and engineers vs. building code officers, and of course lawyers vs. each other (and everybody else). These are unavoidable, predictable, publicly visible conflicts conflicts BETWEEN legitimate interests. For instance, the developers interest in maximizing profit on the parcel of land, vs. the neighbours interest in minimizing disruption to their lives. Resolving (or at least compromising) all of these conflicts should lead to the best possible outcome in the public interest.