Members of the Brentwood Accord – Cllr Barry Aspinell, Cllr Graeme Clark, Cllr Russell Quirk and Cllr Phil Baker – have hit out at the previous administration over the proposed “Park and Stride” coming to Shenfield as part of the Crossrail project.

£1.6 million was agreed in Brentwood Borough Council’s budget for 2014/15. Since then there has been a change of administration and Accord councillors have uncovered a feasability study “Shenfield Station Parking and Access Study”, which was undertaken by JMP Consultants Limited and commissioned by the previous administration at a cost of £19,945.

The conclusion section of the report states:

On balance, it is considered that the benefit to existing rail users arising from the provision of a Park and Stride facility would be low, and that there are a number of issues which cast doubt on the ultimate deliverability and financial viability of such a scheme. Further investigation would be required (particularly with regard to suppressed parking demand) to develop the planning and business case for such a facility, an activity which would only be worthwhile in the event that all of the previously discussed options were to be ruled out.

Accord councillors have described the document as a “smoking gun” and are querying why the previous administration pressed ahead with plans when their own study did not recommend it.

The councillors also spoke about William Hunter Way and Hutton Community Centre. NOTE: The William Hunter Way working group went through the consultation questions with members of the public that attended on Monday, and the consultation has now been finalised with their suggested changes.

Paul Golder was joined in the studio by the Editor of the Brentwood Gazette, Alan Woods, to talk about the councillors’ responses to the new findings.

Phoenix FM has requested a response from Brentwood Conservatives and will feature this on air in due course.

Click below to listen again to the interview: