Anyone who knows me will know that I’ve been fighting the closure of Keys Hall since last March and Old House for the past year.

I firmly do not believe that either of these halls are “surplus to requirements”.

In the case of Keys Hall, the council could ask that any developer come to us with a development that includes a community facility that would ensure the continuation of those groups who use it.  Recently, with the council unable to find a suitable development (great news as far as I am concerned) I have asked for them to book at least 12 months in advance, but they will only concede to extend it on a rolling 6 month basis, rather than the 3 months they have now.  I do hope that some remedial refurbishment work will take place in the interim.

With regards to Old House, we feel that there have been missed opportunities here.  The administration would not agree to our request to look at refurbishing the building and then renting out the top floors whilst keeping the ground floor for community use and this is also to close.  A sad day for those who enjoy “Learning for Pleasure” there and will be unable to make it to Merrymeade House as they do not have a car, and the bus does not reach this building.

I’m further surprised to learn that, after initially backing the campaign to Save Old House, Cllr Russell Quirk (Con) has now said, on www.thisisessex.com today:

“I too opposed the closure of Old House, until I was taken on a tour of it by our then Chief Executive, Bob McLintock. Once enlightened, I saw that most of it is completely unusable and in fact dangerous in its present state. There are holes in the roof and the staircases do not meet current fire regulations. To refurbish the building would require around £300,000 of council tax payers’ money. So before simply shouting ‘Rent the upstairs to businesses’, Cllr Chilvers and Co should acknowledge that such a scheme could not take place without significant public funds being spent to make the facility safe and habitable.”

I didn’t “shout” anything by the way!  But I did ask for this option to be investigated, with all finances presented to councillors at the next meeting.

It’s a sad day when we aren’t even given all the information we request, particularly when the agendas are only presented to us a week before the event and yet the Conservatives, with their huge majority, go ahead and vote for closing community facilities without investigating every option.  We had the same with the cricket pitch in Warley and other things besides!

Read the full article, with comments, here: http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/brentwood/BRENTWOOD-Campaign-save-community-halls/article-567412-detail/article.html

I’ve just returned from the Full Council meeting and the news is that the decision on the cinema/retail complex/multi storey car park has been delayed.

More news to follow!

Like Brentwood Theatre, our local radio station plays a very important part in Brentwood life.  Over the last couple of years, it has become a feature of Brentwood life and it is a very rare thing indeed.  It’s a very local station at the heart of the community and carries very local stories, covering local elections and news from local people and is DJ’d by local people.

The Liberal Democrats tried to get funding from the Assizes Fund last night, the same place the £80K for the theatre is coming from, but this wasn’t going to get agreed by the Conservatives.  Therefore, we supported a revised motion that we would look for CIF funding (Community Initiatives Fund) instead. 

It’s a bit of a disappointment, but we hope they will be successful.  If not, we’ll be back again.

See the full story here: http://www.brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk/news/000096/disappointment_for_phoenix_fm.html

I have a letter in the Brentwood Gazette today, here it is:

Dear Editor

Such a very one-sided view of the Conservatives’ refusal of planning permission for a Multi Use Games Area at Sawyers Hall College appeared in the Gazette (5th November) that the balance has to be sensibly redressed.Opposition councillors were particularly surprised to see this rejected as it was fully supported by the Conservative Mayor of

Brentwood, Cllr Dudley Payne, who sent a statement, read out in support of the application.Liberal Democrats have a strong record of standing up for the Green Belt, but a facility which would encourage young people to participate in sport is certainly not harmful to the green belt and, in our view, would be welcomed by the many residents who tell us there is nothing for their children to do. The application complied with all the relevant policies and was, therefore, recommended for approval.

Specifically, it was considered that the proposed development of a sports pitch would not have an unacceptable detrimental impact on enjoyment of the countryside, would not have resulted in the permanent loss of the best or most versatile agricultural land, would not have an unacceptable detrimental impact on a SSSI, a County Wildlife Site or an area of special landscape and would not have required unacceptably prominent ancillary facilities.Yes, it is appreciated that fencing and floodlighting would be required but not to an unacceptable level. The site benefits from existing tree screening and the fence constituted netting, not a palisade fence.

It’s a shame that the Conservatives did not apply the same attitude to the retrospective application for two classrooms on the Green Belt (recommended for refusal and approved by them) when we were considering an application for Woodlands School.

Cllr Karen Chilvers

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Brentwood West

I’m so pleased that this bus stop has finally been moved back to where it should be.  I received the news from a London Road resident who wrote to me to say:

“Dear Cllr Ms Chilvers

I am pleased to say I was able to catch a bus on Friday from the old Kavanaghs Road bus stop - thank you for all your help.

I hope whoever changed the stop is made FULLY aware of all the inconvenience and cost in time & money their “idea” had caused.”

I’ve certainly already made that point and I’m pleased to be able to have played a part in getting this result.

Another month, another planning committee.  Another shoe-horned development turned down in Ingrave Road and a house extension in Hanging Hill Lane approved.

I am disappointed that the committee were not minded to approve a Multi Use Games Area in Sawyers Hall Lane at the college.  As a ward councillor, I am always being asked why there is not enough for youngsters to do in the evening but the Conservative majority turned down a solution in our town centre.

Although it is on green belt, the planning officers considered this to be an appropriate use of the area, as did I, however, most of the Conservatives didn’t agree.  This was a bit of a surprise, given that the Mayor of Brentwood, Cllr Dudley Payne, wrote a letter of support for the facility, read out at the committee, saying that this should be approved for the good of the community.

Oh well!

Power to the people!

I’m delighted to report that the Conservatives have had to do a fairly big about-turn and give up on their preference to go to a Cabinet System for Brentwood Council.  This would have seen a small clique of councillors making the decisions.

The Lib Dem team may have highlighted the issue: we ran petitions, we spoke about it in the press via press notices and lettrs, we spoke to you on the door and made the case for keeping the status quo on our websites…but it was you, the residents, who sent, in support of our preferred option 3, the following to the council:

• 468 consultation papers by post
• 104 responses on-line via the Council website
• 21 responses on www.brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk
• 32 responses from a door-to-door petition
• 93 responses from a postal petition

A total of 718 responses in favour of Option 3 with only 281 in favour of the Leader and Cabinet System (Option 1).  In addition, it’s still worth watching the recent Citizens’ Panel where 99% of the attendees wanted Option 3!

Well done to everyone who got involved!  The committee system stays and we can continue to speak up for you and put your points across in the chamber and live on the internet!

My latest offering in the Brentwood Gazette, written after the heated exchange regarding the Country Parks!!!

“Tory was still going on about Go Ape

“WE SHOULD have approved Go Ape in Thorndon Park”, stated Conservative councillor Phil Baker at the policy board on September 24.

This shocking statement demonstrates exactly why I am right to be concerned about the joint committee being formed between Essex County and Brentwood Borough councils to run Brentwood’s county parks and the cabinet system proposal which could lead to someone such as Cllr Baker being able to make such a decision alone.

Fortunately, Go Ape was turned down for a myriad of reasons, including the presence of Great Crested Newts who were breeding in the picnic pond, the dangers of setting a legal precedent if the change of use was approved and, undeniably, the weight of public opinion. To Cllr Baker, hundreds of residents fighting against this application seemed unimportant, as he dismissed them and then ridiculed my role in the campaign. But, the refusal reasons still exist.

However, my real issue of concern is how my idea of having a Friends of Brentwood Country Parks has been the victim of yet another Conservative hijack. Suggested by me as an organisation that would see real park users involved, Cllr Brandon Lewis has filled one third of this committee with councillors: three Tories and two opposition councillors. Residents will be so disappointed, given that most wanted a non-political group.

Cllr Karen Chilvers

Former Lead Campaigner

Save Thorndon Park “

Many residents responded to my call for a “Friends of Country Parks” group.  I had suggested that this was a non-political and non-partisan group of park users.

Surprise, surprise.  This will contain three tory councillors, one labour councillor and me.  Ten residents will take the remainder of the 15 places.

Another political highjack.  Sorry.  I tried.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this meeting on Thursday.  Councillors were asked not to attend so that residents could actually have their say without any Tory highjacking!  I was fully in support of this so watched at home.  What an event!

99 per cent of the residents there were totally against the move to go to a cabinet system in Brentwood - a show of hands at the end was 100% against with the one person in favour abstaining from the vote totally!

It’s worth watching: http://www.brentwood.ukcouncil.net/site/