You may have seen in the Brentwood Gazette today that the revised plans for the development in William Hunter Way have been received. 

The plans include:

• A six-screen 31,000sq ft cinema with a capacity of 1,020 seats
• A new high-quality, as yet unnamed 38,000sq ft food store, with total retail space of 90,000sq ft.
• Three additional fashion stores – not yet named
• A four-storey car park clad in a “living wall” for 654 vehicles over 10 levels
• A pedestrian walkway, where High Street shop Krisp now stands, linking William Hunter Way to Brentwood High Street
• A total of 14 one-bedroom flats in a two-storey block planned to act as a buffer zone between existing properties and the new car park.

What do you think?  The plans are scheduled to be discussed and voted on at October’s Ordinary Council meeting so please let me know your views.

For more information, go to http://www.brentwood.gov.uk/index.php?cid=47 and enter reference BRW/729/2008.

Sorry to anyone who tried to visit this site over the weekend, it was out of order for a couple of days due to a server problem.

If you sent me a message via the site in the last week there’s a good chance I might not have received it so please send it again so I can respond!

Just a reminder that the Highways Surgery for Brentwood West takes place this Tuesday, in the council chamber.

Residents are invited to come along and have their say!

Next year, we’ll be electing four county councillors and, I’m pleased to say, Cllr David Kendall (a familiar face to hundreds of Brentwood West residents, pictured on the far right with Nigel and me) is our county council candidate for the Brentwood South division (includes West, Warley and Brentwood South ward).

David was councillor for Brentwood West from 1991 until 2006 and is now representing Pilgrims Hatch as well as being group leader, having been returned to the council in a by-election in March 2007.  David was re-elected in May this year with a majority of almost 400.

The graph on the right shows that, at the last elections in 2005, David was only 570 votes (8%) behind the Conservative.  With the Conservatives having a stranglehold on every level of local government, isn’t it time to have an alternative voice at county council?  We fight for you at the borough level - we can fight for you at county level!

We can do this with your help! If you would like to help us, follow this link: http://www.brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk/surveys/5/

Read more about David’s bid and all the county council candidates here: http://www.essex09.mycouncillor.org.uk/

At next year’s county council elections, I will be standing in the Brentwood Rural division but, don’t worry, councillors can serve at county and borough level simultaneously so, if elected, there’s no chance of me leaving Brentwood West!  I don’t intend to leave Brentwood West for a very, very long time!

The rural divison, curiously, includes South Weald, neighbouring ward to West.  In fact, it starts at Spital Lane where one half of the road falls into West and the other half into South Weald!  It also includes Tipps Cross, Brizes & Doddinghurst and Ingatestone, Fryerning and Mountnessing.  As a former resident of Clapgate, Stondon Massey (in Tipps Cross ward) and a fierce protector of Brentwood’s Green Belt it seemed sensible to stand in this division.  I’ve had exposure to rural politics before as my mother, Linda Price, was a Parish Councillor for Stondon Massey (an integral part of getting funding to refurbish the village hall) and our planning representative (you could never believe what some people wanted to build on the green belt!) as was her late partner, Terry Murray.  Terry was a key player in the “Stop the M12″ campaign and extremely well known and highly regarded throughout Brentwood.  I moved there just after he died in 1999 to a house in Clapgate, just off the coincidentally named “Chivers Road” and was a familiar site to many…walking the dogs through the country lanes!

For more details, click here: http://www.essex09.mycouncillor.org.uk/

The other prospective candidates for county council are: Cllr Barry Aspinell (Brentwood North division), Cllr Ross Carter (Brentwood Hutton division) and Cllr David Kendall (Brentwood South division).  Brentwood South is West’s county division - more on this soon!

A lively planning committee! I was pleased that we approved a number of applications, notably a facility at Brentwood County High School’s plans for a separate facility for children who are having difficulties by converting the old caretaker’s house and an educational bricklaying centre at Sawyers Hall College which has got a lot of support from my colleague, Brentwood North Councillor Ross Carter.

We also voted through the demolition of the Sir Charles Napier pub and the adjoining properties.  I have ensured that the rubbish at the back of the pub is to be cleared up asap.

As a former Stondon Massey resident I was delighted to speak on a residential house in School Road where the owner is to build a replacement property and to enhance the area. When I lived in the village my mother was a parish councillor and we were often exasperated by those who moved in to a rural village and then wanted to tarmac country lanes and put in street lights where they weren’t needed. Here we have someone who has put in a wildlife pond, installed boxes for owls and birds and is protecting the woodland - well done!

We need these green lungs - if you ever visit The Brewery in Romford at night for the cinema, look up in the trees. The birds don’t sleep there because they think it’s still day!

I wasn’t very happy with the over-development of Crown Street. Another crammed in block of flats coming to a street near you!

But, as for the application for Woodlands School - take a look at the discussion on this and see what you think! http://www.brentwood.ukcouncil.net/site/#pp16722

. Select “Planning Development Control Committee - 16th July 2008″ and then item 16.

Cllr Kendall and I visited the Brentwood Centre today and met with the management team. Thanks to Roger Davinson and his staff for their kind hospitality!

It’s certainly looking good - the gym looks as shiny and well equipped as many of the big name fitness centres and membership is extremely reasonable, starting at £30pcm.

Take a look at what’s on offer here: http://www.brentwood-centre.co.uk

Last night I attended the Highways Panel.  I’m a member of this one so I get to vote too!

A number of initiatives were discussed and voted upon including:

• provision of a 20mph speed limit in Honeypot Lane
• Improvements to the junction of Weald Road and Lincolns Lane
• Repairs and widening to the A128 and A129
• Repairs to Queen Street, Warley

and I was pleased to support all of these.

There were further discussions about the provision of a VAS sign in Warley Hill.  The proposed site is near Hammonds Lane but I am not convinced this is the right place.  Conversations with residents on the hill show me that, actually, an issue is the acceleration as drivers reach the end of the shops at the top of the hill, with fast speeds as they approach Warley Mount and Junction Road. 

I’ve also asked for repairs to be made to the footpaths in Wharf Road, when (if?) the building works are complete.

I’m sure there are many other issues that residents wish to discuss so, make sure you come along to the Highways Surgery on 22nd July or let me know your concerns.

A consultation has begun about your use of the parks in the Warley area.  If you use any of these parks, please have your say.

King George’s Park consultation: http://citizen.brentwood.gov.uk/teleforms/kinggeorgesconsultation/index.htm

Hartswood and Little Warley Common: http://citizen.brentwood.gov.uk/teleforms/littlewarleyconsultation/index.htm

I’ve just got home from the Citizen’s Panel at the council offices.  There were quite a few residents there and it is great to see people take an active interest in Brentwood. You can watch both sessions on www.brentwood.gov.uk and see what went on.

There was a lot of discussion, specifically about local roads and the gipsy and traveller consultation.  It was strange that there was no mention on the agenda of the proposed cabinet system that the Conservatives are proposing and certain members of the administration seemed to be quite upset that not everyone agreed with them, shouting a parish councillor down and suggesting he resign if he didn’t like it!!!  Of course, you can have your say at www.brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk.  We’ll listen to you and we won’t shout you down!

One of the key issues is the traveller consultation.  The deadline for this is extended until 25th July and, with one of the sites proposed in Brentwood West, it is important that you have your say.  Contact me if you would like a copy of the consultation document.

Did anyone see Brentwood get a mention on “Top Gear” tonight?  They are running a feature on ridiculous road signs and the huge signpost to our “Secret Nuclear Bunker” seemed to amuse them!!!!

I was out in Kavanaghs Road today and pleased to see, at last (!) that the lamp post has been replaced.  This was taken down as it was a health and safety risk back in March and, then, somehow, got “over-looked” by Essex County Council.  It was replaced on 1st July, as advised!

Another night out last night!  This time in connection with my day job!

I went to a Marketing Society lecture on Not for Profit marketing, which was excellent.

We were treated to the story of the “Give a Few Bob” campaign, the film that was made starring Bob Monkhouse, after his death in 2003.  Incredibly, the entire staff of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation consists of three people and they created this wonderful campaign which has raised a huge amount for prostate cancer research, a disease that kills a man an hour in the UK.

If you want to see the film, click here: www.giveafewbob.org and if you want to give a few bob, I’m sure the charity will be over the moon!

Last night, I spent a very enjoyable evening at the House of Commons meeting, amongst others, Lembit Opik MP, Jo Swinson MP, Jenny Willott MP, Shirley Williams and, our leader, Nick Clegg MP.

The evening was a celebration of women in politics and, one thing is for sure, the Liberal Democrats, and Nick in particular, are fighting for representation in politics from all sectors of the community.

It was a very motivational evening and I’m sure that with Nick in charge, and such an active team of MPs, the Lib Dems will have a significant impact over the nxt few years…and beyond.

I heard today about the accident in Osbourne Heights, Clements Park.  On Friday evening, someone accidently drove a car into the wall and has damaged a block of flats very badly.  I understand everyone has had to move out and there is some considerable damage to the properties.

I send my best wishes to everyone involved and hope that things are sorted quickly.

I will be monitoring the situation and ask the residents to let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

We are campaiging AGAINST the introduction of a cabinet style of government in Brentwood as we believe this will shut down debate.  What do you think?  Visit www.brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk and have your say via our on-line poll or send me a comment via this site.

The deadline for the consultation on gipsy and traveller sites has been extended to 22nd July after concerns that the documents have not reached all residents.

One of the sites is in Crescent Road.  Have your say here: http://www.brentwood.gov.uk/index.php?cid=1233

I see in the Brentwood Gazette today that the final few residents have moved out of Winifred Dell House in Warley. 

I fought and voted against this re-development because I did not see that there was a care plan in place for the residents.  We have seen conflicting messages from the company running the home and the staff about how the residents were dealt with.  We now know that the residents have been placed as far away as Canvey Island and Cambridge - breaking up the community that was so important to many of the elderly residents, some of whom had dementia.

The need to refurbish this home was in no doubt, but I object to elderly residents being moved around like commodities.

Read more here: http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/brentwood/residents-Warley-care-home-shuts-doors/article-201582-detail/article.html