MDC site was 'down' before the deadline

One question that I've had about the planning and objection process was regarding the fact that Mendip District Council's page for submission of objections to the proposal was 'down' for 4 days before the objection deadline. I found this out by telephoning the office during working hours whereupon I found out that in order to submit my objection I had to write it in an email and send it, to a specified email address (not a normal MDC address) before the deadline. I duly did this and received an acknowledgment.
I have subsequently met a number of people who tried to get their objections in before the deadline and were unable to.
If I have met a small number it is probably the case that there are many more objectors who were unable to voice their complaints.
Not only that but there is the issue of why didn't MDC post the fact of the malfunctioning objection page on their site so as to ensure that there was proper 'democracy' in the process? They could so easily have warned folk about the problem and asked for everyone wishing to post objections to do so by email.
But it seems that the deadline was in fact extended. Unfortunately, a number of people didn't realise this so never posted objections.

Mendip Councillors out-voted the Planning Department (who opposed the plan), with one vote against and one abstention (as I recall).
One can't help wondering why the Planning Dept were so opposed to the plan? Was it because of the many problems with the plan and its access provisions? Was the knowledge of potential job-losses, which is according to national statistics and averages rather than the vague claim about 'secured' jobs one of the reasons for objection? Could it be that Planning Officers have seen only too clearly what the consequences of a Tesco super-store has been for Shepton Mallet (where the M.D.C offices are) and its local economy?

There may be folk out there with interesting answers...