Bromham Parish Council said it hasn’t refused to meet a residents’ group, it just hasn’t had the time to respond to a request for an alternative date.
The Bromham Residents Group (BRG) had declined to meet at a time suggested by the parish council as it didn’t agree to the terms set out by the parish council.
The proposed meeting for 16 July, would have included parish council chair Sian Woodfine, parish councillor Trevor Roff (chair of the Bromham Mill Board), and Frazer Hickling of Phillips Planning.
During this week’s Bromham Parish Council meeting (2 July), a resident referred to as Simon, on behalf of the BRG, said: “The BRG has rejected this because of the requested presence by the parish of Fraser Hickling, from Phillips Planning Limited, who have considerable financial interests in the development, both in the past and in the future.”
Parish councillor Trevor Roff said: “Fraser would have been a valuable resource, he hasn’t been paid significantly by this parish council, but he has considerable knowledge about the scheme.
“It would have been helpful to use him to explain to the Bromham Residents Group the scheme’s proposals. I think this will be a missed opportunity not to have somebody like that present at the meeting.
“And I’m very surprised that the group has declined the opportunity to meet the parish council,” he said.
Simon said: “The BRG really wants to talk to the parish council, there are over 500 supporters of the BRG who do not want the development to continue in its current format.
“The parish council is supposed to represent and be accountable to the residents of the village. So please, can we speak and engage?”
Parish council chair, Sian Woodfine, said the BRG had emailed a request for a meeting to the council.
In a statement released before the council meeting, BRG said it offered an alternative meeting with members of the CPRE mediating as long as the parish council stopped any work and spending on the development.
It added that it has asked the parish council “one last time” to provide some conditions under which it is prepared to meet, but “no reply yet”.
Parish councillor Woodfine said: “We haven’t responded to [the email] yet as we haven’t had an opportunity to discuss it.
“I think it only came through at the beginning of this week. It’s very difficult because we’re a team of volunteers and everyone has a busy life.
“So we were trying to tie it in on nights when parish councillors are already meeting, rather than trying to bring in a different night.”
Addressing the rumour that work on the Mill site will be carried out between July and August, the chair said: “No one has ever come directly to ask.
“I think some of the emails recently have been very intimidating and quite forceful. But no one came forward and said rumour has it that you’re doing work between July and August.
“If someone had made that approach to us we’d have confidently said that’s not true. I’m sorry that [rumour] was inaccurate and badly leading residents.”
To show the “strength of support” for those opposing the parish council’s plans to develop Bromham Mill, a silent protest was held before the parish council meeting started.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
