Village leaders have denied holding secret meetings on plans for a £1million green corridor.

Plans for a green corridor in Batheaston | Image © Batheaston Parish Council
Responding to “all-encompassing criticism” levelled at Batheaston Parish Council, members said they had to set aside “legacy issues” and move on.
Residents including several former councillors threatened to ask for the authority to be dissolved but instead called for urgent training for members.
They said the green corridor was a preposterous “pipe dream” distracting the council from issues that matter to residents.
Speaking at the annual parish meeting on 24th March, former parish councillor Emily Wright said: “It’s important to hold the parish council to account. I grow increasingly concerned about some of the behaviours and leadership I’ve seen.”
She said groups working on projects important to residents, like the car park, neighbourhood plan and playground, had been disbanded, adding: “In the meantime a pipe dream to create a green corridor takes up time and valuable energy, involving secret meetings and unofficial working groups with no interests declared, let alone the loan required to fund this preposterous idea.”
The main item on the agenda for the parish council’s extraordinary meeting on March 30 was responding to the criticism. Many claims were described as inaccurate.
Green corridor
The idea could cost £1million and take four years to complete, according to the council, and last year it put together a loan application for an initial £115,000. Critics raised concerns about where the rest of the money would come from and accused councillors of holding secret meetings.
Councillor Derek Greener sided with the residents. He said there had never been a vote to accept the green corridor as a policy or to sanction any meetings with landowners.
Cllr Alexis Pavlou said the project was “not set in stone” and members were free to meet anyone who approached them.
Council chair Hannah Squire said the project could “only be for the benefit of residents”, adding: “There were no secret meetings. Former councillor Patrick Vandesteen made clear the discussions he had.”
A document shared with the meeting giving the council’s account of events said: “A council representative was invited by landowners to discuss the opportunity to develop green spaces. He then briefed councillors in a closed meeting. New working group now established to consider and engage on all options.”
Lack of training
Another complaint was that councillors failed to act in line with the Nolan principles that say holders of public office should act with selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
They will go on training courses to address the “all-encompassing criticism leveled at us all,” as Cllr Squire put it.
She said she did not think she had broken any of the Nolan principles but Cllr Pavlou admitted being rude and vowed to stop doing it.
Cllr May said the council had to unpick a number of “legacy issues” that were blocking it from making progress.
“We need to reflect and learn but there are few things we’ve really got stuck on,” she said. “If we’re going to do this job, we really have to put that aside and think about where we can bring benefit to the people we’re serving here.
“That might mean we don’t always get what we want, but if it’s overall good for our residents, then so be it.”
Cllr Catherine McCarthy said: “We do the job to help the community and we feel completely lambasted. We’re doing our best, we’re all volunteers.”
Neighbourhood plan
The council began work on a neighbourhood plan in 2017 but Cllr Pavlou said the many of the issues were addressed in Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Local Plan, so there would be few benefits in completing it.
Residents argued that Batheaston would get more cash from developers if the neighbourhood plan was completed, but Cllr Pavlou said few payments would be made.
He said: “If it’s about community infrastructure levy payments it’s going to be a lot of work for some people to do. When time is scarce, if we really think CIL payments are going to be our cash cow, why not pay someone to do it? We can profit from their work and do all the work residents are concerned about.
“I’d like to see if anyone can find a justification for a neighbourhood plan, because I can’t find one. It seems a pointless exercise. It would be a lot of work for little reward.”
Cllr May added: “There doesn’t seem to be any value in a neighbourhood plan. Why invest time in it?”
Cllr Greener said the council had been working on it for three years and suggested speaking to the ward members on B&NES Council before ruling it out.
Car park contract
The council was also criticised for failing to sign a contract for the riverside car park.
Cllr Pavlou said members of the council would be personally liable if something went wrong, and when the firm provided more information it was only right they should consider it.
He said data was needed on what is wanted and needed.
Members were told that “no self-respecting council” would have taken on the risks involved.
Cllr Sue Peachey said: “The best thing we can do is get together, discover what options are available, then we can present it to the council and put it out to the general public.”
Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter