William Hunter Way: Cllr Mynott's letter
The William Hunter Way debate is due to be debated at an extraordinary meeting of the full council (called by opposition members) on Monday at 7pm - residents are welcome to attend.
Last week in the Brentwood Gazette, Conservative Council leader Cllr Louise McKinlay told the public to "stop making assumptions" about the development. This is the response from Lib Dem Cllr Philip Mynott:
"Its marvellous, isn't it?
"Brentwood's Conservative administration refuse to hold any public consultation on the William Hunter Way development, despite the massive scale of the impact it would have on the borough.
"They totally fail to consult with local businesses on their attitude to this development, despite the effects it will have on their viability, and the knowledge they could have brought to the discussion.
"They vote against a Lib Dem motion, asking the public to be consulted about it in the council's Vision magazine, at a council meeting in December 2007 (and later scrap both the magazine, and the vestiges of vision). Then, in 2009, Conservatives vote for the scheme, many giving reasons which have proven to be wholly wrong (the claim that it would deliver a Waitrose), and in defiance of concerns which have since worsened (the levels of congestion on our roads; the uncertain state of the economy; the fear that the High Street would suffer - later reinforced by the loss of M&S to the scheme).
"But after this decision nothing changed at the council. Two Conservative administrations have refused to talk to anyone about the progress, or content, of further discussions behind the scenes.
"It took 19 months for the S106 agreements to be hammered out between the council and Stockland, but no information has been given out about these discussions since they ended in September 2010, not even why they took such an amazingly long time.
"Then, despite a crucial contractual deadline coming up in December 2012 the administration doesn't schedule any discussion of it at any council meeting, or doesn't until after opposition councillors have forced them to hold an Extraordinary meeting on the 26th.
"And yet Louise McKinley (Gazette, November 14th) still imagines she has a right to complain about critics of the scheme making "dangerous assumptions"!
"If she'd ever been prepared to divulge any information to the public, or to all but a tiny handful of councillors, even on her own side, then no assumptions would have been needed, and this meeting would not had to have been called. If she's now living in a world of problems, they are problems of her own making.
"Those of us who have no wish to live in a world of Brentwood Tory-built problems, think some public discussion of this tired, dated (and worrying) scheme needs to happen before too late.
"Come along on November 26th - it needs to be extraordinary because ordinary - Louise McKinley's way of doing things - just isn't good enough."
Philip Mynott, Liberal Democrat, Brentwood North Ward