Cllr Philip Mynott, Liberal Democrat member for Brentwood North, responds to Cllr McKinlay’s statement on William Hunter Way.

Louise McKinlay, said: “Our number one priority throughout this process has been getting the best deal for Brentwood, and I am delighted the members have come to this decision.

Fact: you can’t “get the best deal” when you only look at one deal. You can literally only ever get the best of three options and the better of two options – Brentwood’s Conservatives have refused to look at more than one “option”, ever since this process began in 2005, this cannot possibly, therefore, be the “best deal for Brentwood”.

“As well as the financial return this scheme will deliver, residents will benefit from all the other advantages it will bring to the borough, along with more jobs and extra investment in to the area.

As was carefully pointed out to Brentwood’s administration last night, by those who were still thinking, a better scheme (i.e any second one) would offer better benefits and advantages – refusing to release the council to explore potentially better schemes makes no sense at all, since the “benefits” and “advantages” of this one may, in reality, be drawbacks and negatives in comparison to others.

Brentwood has been dreaming of a cinema for a long time, and thanks to this decision that dream is soon going to become a reality. The William Hunter Way development will revitalise Brentwood town centre, attract more business and boost both the day and night-time economy.

Cllr McKinlay, in this comment and in her tweets during the meeting last night, unfortunately showed that her grasp of what has currently been decided, and not decided, is rather shaky.

Last week officers recommended to the council that in the absence of Stockland meeting some new conditions the Development Agreement should not be “made unconditional” (that is, finalised), allowing the development to take place. By last night Stockland had indeed failed to meet these new conditions, but the Tories simply backed down – to the developer’s benefit, but to the borough’s detriment. There is therefore no evidence at present that Stockland will meet any new conditions in the next six weeks (particularly since they will be once again reassured that this administration will continue failing to press the issue), and therefore nothing at all, as of now, that is “going to become a reality”. Meanwhile the nightmare scenario of the current William Hunter Way scheme possibly being built (and the uncertainty the Tories have allowed to fester for so long) does continue to blight the borough, its residents’ lives, its businesses and its economic prospects.

And (as if this wasn’t bad enough) the real decision, the biggest decision facing the borough, will now be made by unelected officials, and behind closed doors.

“Most importantly, it will help us make sure that Brentwood continues to be a place people want to visit and enjoy spending their time and money.”

A development on the William Hunter Way car park could potentially do what Cllr McKinlay claims, it could also drain all the life out of the High Street and leave commercial Brentwood outside of William Hunter Way a disaster area – which is why it is so crucial to get it right. Unfortunately Brentwood’s Conservatives have taken the wrong step at each turn of the path, and that, seemingly, has included encouraging Stockland to coax Marks and Spencer, the High Street’s biggest shop, out of the High Street, thus ensuring that in a devastatingly outsized scheme the largest single unit will simply house a business that was already in the town and not bring a new one to it.