The victory was emphatic, with Cllr Scoble beating out second-place candidate Wendy Parkinson of Reform by over 500 votes.

The seat had been empty since early May, when the previous councillor – Ryan Bamforth – vacated it.

(Image: Dan Dougherty)

Cllr Scoble said: “We’re very happy – it’s more Horwich.

“It’s good that the seat is going to a resident in Horwich, so we will be able to carry on doing more good work for the people in the area.

“Thanks to my agent – he’s sorted me out a few times – and thanks for everybody.

“For us, this is about Horwich, and Horwich has now got the seat back after it was vacated by someone who abandoned his position.

“So thank you very much.”

Bolton council now has five councillors representing Horwich and Blackrod First Independents.

Reform candidate Wendy Parkinson (Image: Dan Dougherty)

These are Cllrs Peter Wright, Victoria Rigby, Andrea Finney, and leader David Grant.

Ryan Bamforth, who held the Horwich North seat until vacating it in May, was previously a Horwich and Blackrod First independent councillor.

He left the party in June of 2024, continuing the represent Horwich North as an independent candidate until his resignation in May.

Cllr Akhtar Zaman with Labour candidate Graham Dawson (Image: Dan Dougherty)

One story of the night was the battle between Horwich and Blackrod Independents and reform.

Bolton Council Leader Akhtar Zaman said: “This election matters very much in terms of Reform, because if Reform win the seat they will be in a better position in the council.

(Image: Dan Dougherty)

“We’re all very interested now in what impact Andy Burnham is having on the electorate – we hope it will be a positive one.”

Reform candidate Wendy Parkinson said she was ‘disappointed’ by the result, but stated it was to be ‘expected.’

All candidates stressed a commitment to local politics.

“When you solve lots of little things, big things get solved more easily,” said Ms Parkinson.

Peter Brett Hopkinson with his support dog Princess (Image: Dan Dougherty)

This was echoed by Cllr Scoble, when he stressed the importance of the seat going to a ‘resident in Horwich.’

Labour candidate Graham Dawson, Green candidate Nicola Salmon, and independent candidate Peter Brett-Hopkinson all expressed similar sentiments.

There were seven candidates in total:

Graham Dawson – Labour – 343 votes

Peter Brett Hopkinson – Independent – 13 votes

Raymond Ndokwo – Conservative and Union Party – 71 votes

Wendy Parkinson – Reform – 541 votes

Nicola Salmon – Green – 189 votes

John Francis Scoble – Horwich and Blackrod First Independents – 1186 votes

Scott James Turner-Preece – Liberal Democrats – 27 votes

There is almost no chance of survival for remaining victims of Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes eight days ago that left the country on its knees – with tens of thousands still missing – a charity worker has said.

Almost 2,300 people are confirmed to have died after 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes hit back-to-back last week. However as many as 40,000 are unaccounted for.

Rare stories of ‘miracles’ where trapped children and people were freed by rescue teams have offered some hope – but this is a dwindling reality as the nation has long passed the crucial 72-hour window to rescue victims.

Edward de Burgh, a senior global security officer for the nonprofit Project HOPE which has been distributing supplies and providing emergency treatment in the region, told the Daily Mail that ‘the chances of survival for those that are under the rubble has now reduced considerably’.

‘Just on our ability to survive as a human being without water in a very harsh environment, we’re getting to the point now where those miraculous cases will exist, but realistically speaking, biologically speaking, it’s not likely that people can survive much longer, if they are indeed at all alive at the moment,’ he said.

Everywhere, relatives, volunteers, and rescue workers have been racing to recover bodies.

‘The destruction in the areas where it’s hardest hit, the buildings are literally piles of rubble already, in some cases, and then trying to find the bodies in there to account for them and give them back to their loved ones is a very difficult task,’ Mr de Burgh said.

But a singular glimmer of hope last night provided some relief for the region which has become accustomed to the droning of generators and jackhammers, and often the stench of decomposing corpses.

Project HOPE and SAMU team members conduct earthquake response operations in La Guaira, with 40,000 people still unaccounted for

Hernan Gil, 43, was astonishingly rescued from the rubble in Playa Grande, a neighborhood of Catia La Mar, in a dramatic operation involving rescuers from seven countries.

But with time running out, locals who held onto hope for the last week that their loved ones may emerge from the destruction are now beginning to enter a sobering period where they may not be so lucky.

Mr de Burgh explained: ‘In the first few days everyone has hope, solidarity kicks in and people are desperately trying to find loved ones.

‘You’ve got very professional teams working with dogs and sensors and drones and then you’ve got community teams working with hand tools to try and do their best.

‘That’s kind of slowing down now and people are starting to realize that time is not their friend anymore.

‘A lot of the international teams are now leaving, and we’re officially sort of moving into the recovery stage.

‘This pressure builds up as people are desperate dealing with the loss of people, loss of loved ones, and literally having nothing.

‘Their homes now have gone, and whatever they had in them is not retrievable in many cases.

Hernan Gil, 43, was astonishingly rescued from the rubble in Playa Grande, a neighborhood of Catia La Mar, in a dramatic operation involving rescuers from seven countries

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Project HOPE and SAMU going through the rubble of one of the buildings in La Guaira with a rescue dog as they look for survivors

‘It’s the period where you have to start living with the aftermath of it, which can be exceedingly incapacitating for people.’

Rescue efforts have begun to be transformed as the area enters a recovery phase focused on supporting affected locals who survived that may no longer have access to clean water, food, medication or housing.

The more organized rescue teams have already moved into primary health and emergency medical teams have begun supporting the clinics and the hospitals, Mr de Burgh said.

Mr de Burgh said that while there are hospitals still operating in the area, they are ‘very much overstretched’ but ‘coping well’ alongside the support from ‘the international community and organisations like ourselves supporting those hospitals and clinics’.

The spread of disease is one of the principal concerns for the team as they enter the ‘secondary phase’ of the disaster zone, he added.

‘As the buildings came down, they may have impacted the sewage and mixed with the water system.

‘We don’t know this yet, but there is the risk that fresh water is going to be a challenge.’

Further basic needs of sanitation and hygiene are other priorities at this stage, as are making sure people are housed and off the streets, away from buildings that are unstable.

La Guaira, once a festive seaside resort, has transformed into a grim scene of survival and despair where entire neighborhoods have been razed.

It was the hardest hit region in Venezuela, made up of beach homes of more affluent residents and holidaymakers alongside ‘a lot of poverty and social housing’.

Now, it is the epicentre of the majority of deaths.

‘The destruction in the areas where it’s hardest hit, the buildings are literally piles of rubble already, in some cases, and then trying to find the bodies in there to account for them and give them back to their loved ones is a very difficult task,’ Mr De Burgh said

Rescue efforts have begun to be transformed as the area enters a recovery phase focused on supporting affected locals who survived that may no longer have access to clean water, food, medication or housing

With time running out, locals who held onto hope for the last week that their loved ones may emerge from the destruction are now beginning to enter a sobering period that they may not be so lucky

Mr de Burgh said: ‘You have buildings that are pancaked, pancaked and twisted in some cases, and then also buildings that have crumbled into piles of rubble, or others that have toppled over.

‘If you do the simple calculation of the fact that these buildings are so damaged in a lot of cases and there’s still a lot of people unaccounted for, the death toll over time will be confirmed higher and that’s for sure.

‘I’d rather not sort of make a guess at the death toll but if you look at the number of disappeared, the people they can’t contact, and do the simple maths, then yes, you’re probably looking at a significant rising number of deaths.’

What was once an eight-story building in the town has now become a six-meter high mound in the mountain range of rubble that makes up the area.

Manuel Alejos, a crane operator who has already pulled out seven bodies, said: ‘We’re breaking slab by slab to free the bodies… Their families need the bodies to say their goodbyes.’

‘We still have the basement to do,’ he added, hopeful that there may be survivors.

On the docks, people wait on plastic chairs. A makeshift morgue has been set up to meet the demand.

Owuar Herrera and 12 members of his family waited for hours to declare the bodies of his granddaughter, 10-year-old Dasleidy Herrera, and her grandmother, 50-year-old Mildred Moreno, both killed in the earthquakes.

‘After a week of work, we found them today. They were embracing,’ he says.

Carlos Velazquez has been looking for his 26-year-old son, Dennis, who was on the tenth floor of a building.

‘I’ve been here since day one. Even if I have to pull him out with my own fingernails, my son will rest in a proper cemetery,’ Velazquez said, his eyes filled with sadness but determination.

His son’s body was recovered shortly afterwards.

The local golf course has been turned into an emergency camp, where rows and rows of camp beds have been set up to house just some of the 15,000 people whose homes were demolished.

For many others, they have had to resort to sleeping in the streets.

‘I think what we’ll see is a sort of desperation of a long recovery period and potentially frustrations come with that, and especially as people are moving into camps, it can become overcrowded along with the need of those basic resources like water and food and hygiene and so forth,’ Mr de Burgh added.

‘In the next few weeks, we’ve got the concern of public health and then how do we get people back into housing? How do we remove all this destruction so we can build again? And that does take months.’

A city permit has outlined the full schedule for the couple’s big day

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New details, including the schedule, for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding have been revealed according to a copy of a city permit.

The showbiz wedding of the year is set to begin at 5 p. m local time Friday and stretch until the early hours of Saturday morning, closing several blocks in the heart of Manhattan during the busy holiday weekend, reports The Mirror.

The application – for a “Special Event at MSG” – was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

From Friday afternoon, several blocks surrounding the venue will be closed to vehicles and partially restricted to pedestrians, according to information shared by police on Thursday afternoon.

The schedule, according to AP news, is believed to be as follows:,

Thursday July 2.

6.30-9.30pm – Pre party for 100 guests only.

10.30pm – End of day.

Friday July 8.

12.01am-11.59pm – Full street closure: W. 31st St between 7th ave / 8th ave.

12.01am – 12pm – Cabaret tent box trucks arrive and build starts / ends for main (2nd tent) 25ft x 180ft drive through tent.

2pm – Crew call.

3-5pm – Doors open / Guests arrive.

5pm- 12am – Event.

Saturday July 9.

12.01-4am – Event cont.

4am-12pm – Tent strike and load out, full closure still in effect.

12pm-7pm – Load out continues / ends.

Donna Kelce, mother of the Super Bowl star set to marry this Friday, is reportedly being kept in the dark about much of the wedding arrangements — and is perfectly happy with that.

A source told the Daily Mail: “They actually haven’t told Donna very much, she is just going with the flow. They’re letting her know where she needs to be and when she needs to be there. They have a driver for her.”

The insider added that this approach extended to all those closest to the couple: “That’s how it is with everybody, even the people really close to them. When they get to where they need to be, they’re told where they’re going next.”

They further revealed that details have been shared strictly on a need-to-know basis amongst guests: “So she doesn’t really know a lot about the plans, because she hasn’t been told. I think that’s their way of making sure that things aren’t leaked. Everyone is on a ‘need to know’ basis.

“I think she likes it that way. It’s not a stress. Travis told her what type of clothes she’d need and basically everything is going to be easy for her. She’s very excited to experience it as it happens, with some mystery along the way.”

The couple are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure their special day remains as private as possible.

By SHAUN WOOLLER, EXECUTIVE HEALTH EDITOR

Published: 23:13 BST, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 02:43 BST, 3 July 2026

The British Medical Association has told GPs to deny care to some prostate cancer and heart patients until the NHS caves into their demands for more funding.

Charities have called for urgent action to make sure ‘no patient is left confused, delayed or caught in the middle’ as they accused the doctors’ union of putting men at risk of harm to fill its members’ pockets.

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The BMA has been urging family doctors to take part in various forms of collective action in protest at the 2026/27 GP contract.

As part of the next round, it wants surgeries to reject new requests from hospitals to hand over prescribing and monitoring responsibilities for a patient, unless there is already an arrangement in place to do so.

The BMA said examples of this can include prescribing specialist drugs for the immune system, heart and lungs, or to treat ongoing prostate cancer or osteoporosis.

But it claims these arrangements can sometimes be ‘underfunded’ and ‘unsafe’ – and says arrangements should be in place to cover the cost and workload.

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David James, director of patient projects and influencing at the charity Prostate Cancer Research, said: ‘Men with prostate cancer must not be put at risk because of disputes over NHS funding or responsibilities.

‘We recognise the huge pressure GPs are under, and shared care arrangements must be safe, properly funded and clinically appropriate.

Dr Katie Bramall (pictured), chairwoman of the BMA’s general practitioners committee for England.

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David James (pictured), director of patient projects and influencing at the charity Prostate Cancer Research.

‘But patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer need certainty that their prescribing, monitoring and follow-up will not be disrupted.

‘The Government, NHS England, commissioners and the BMA need to work together urgently to resolve this and make sure no patient is left confused, delayed or caught in the middle.’

Dr Katie Bramall, chairwoman of the BMA’s general practitioners committee for England, said: ‘This next phase of collective action is about GPs rejecting the transfer of additional work from hospitals to practices – beyond their existing contractual arrangements with the NHS – that is too often unsafe and unfunded.

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‘For the sake of safe patient care, and keeping local GP surgeries open and viable, practices will therefore refuse any new requests for shared care, if these are inappropriately resourced.’

It comes after the Government set out its ambitions to move care closer to home as part of its flagship 10-year health plan for England.

One of the main pillars of the plan is moving care form hospital to the community.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘GPs play a pivotal role in the NHS, and we remain committed to working with the BMA to resolve outstanding issues and avoid escalation.

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‘We expect all providers of NHS care to act in the best interests of patients, make responsible use of public funds, and work in line with established clinical guidance and local prescribing arrangements.

‘We don’t anticipate a significant impact on patient services, and patients should continue to contact their GP as usual.’

Croatia had their hearts broken by another contentious VAR decision at the 2026 World Cup after having a last-gasp equaliser chalked off against Portugal in the round of 32.

Portugal thought they had the game won when Goncalo Ramos headed home in the 94th minute, making it 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo had cancelled out Ivan Perisic’s opener from the spot.

But Croatia kept coming deep into stoppage time and as the ball was whipped in from the left in the 103rd minute, it was met by Mario Pasalic who knocked the ball into the path of Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol to convert.

It appeared that Croatia had saved their skin in the final seconds, with the game looking set for extra time.

However, the Snicko technology within the ball – which can detect touches – showed the faintest flicks off the head of Igor Matanovic as the ball came into the area, which as a result had Pasalic receiving the ball in an offside position.

Referee Espen Eskas was called over to the monitor to review the incident – an abnormal move for an offside decision – and subsequently overturned the goal, all but sending Portugal through to the last-16.

Irate Croatia fans responded by peppering the pitch with water bottles in protest, causing a delay to the match getting restarted.

Perisic, whose excellent finish in the 53rd minute gave Croatia real hope of progression, had to go over to the Croatia supporters to remonstrate with them before a replay of the offside was shown on the big screen at BMO Field.

This was perceived by the BBC commentators as an attempt to quell the rage of the Croatians by showing just how offside Pasalic was.

Where the controversy came into this VAR decision, however, was the complete reliance on the Snicko technology, with the touch being so faint that it was barely visible to the human eye.

These doubts were not present in the mind of former referee Darren Cann, with Mark Chapman revealing a message he received from the BBC’s resident refereeing expert after the game.

It read: “He was offside when the ball was last played by a teammate and the ball was deflected by the defender and not deliberately played, so the offside stands.

“Snicko, that 100 percent proves that he touched it with the flick-on.”

Croatia were nevertheless crestfallen as the final whistle blew, sending Portugal into a last-16 tie with Spain.

Man City midfielder Mateo Kovacic was in tears and had to be consoled, while this drama closed the book on 40-year-old Croatia captain Luka Modric’s World Cup career, who has guided them to a final and a semi-final in the past two editions.

POMONA, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Knight Riders played their first home game Wednesday under the lights of their brand-new cricket field in Southern California, marking a milestone event as excitement builds for the 2028 Olympics.

Cricket, the second most-watched sport in the world, is set to be included in the Olympic Games after a 126-year hiatus. With a global following of over 2.5 billion, the Olympics are expected to draw international attention to Knight Riders Cricket Ground in Pomona, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles. Major League Cricket, which currently holds a monthlong season with six teams, is hoping to build momentum by giving sports fans in major markets a taste of the excitement cricket can produce.

About 2,000 spectators — predominantly South Asian — filled the stands Wednesday night for the first match between the home team and the Washington Freedom. They cheered as the first ball of the match was bowled and the thwack of the strike echoed across the stadium — a $21 million, 200,000-square-foot (18,580-square-meter) facility with six floodlit towers that went from groundbreaking to completion in under 70 days.

A blending of LA and cricket culture for opener

As the crowd waved purple and gold flags — the Knight Riders’ colors, just like the Los Angeles Lakers — a DJ mixed in Bollywood and Bhangra music with Bad Bunny and evergreen pop hits like Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Lakers legend Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest, bowled the ceremonial first ball to inaugurate the new stadium.

Venky Mysore, CEO of Mumbai-based Knight Riders Sports, said the cricket conglomerate took no shortcuts in building the stadium with eight pitches. A pitch, also called a wicket, is a rectangular strip where most of the action takes place during a cricket match. Most stadiums only have four to six pitches, Mysore said.

The San Gabriel mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the stadium, located in the Fairplex event complex. It has temporary seating to accommodate about 5,000 for the 2026 season. That will be replaced by permanent seating for over 20,000 in the next year or so, Mysore said.

Also in the works is a professional-level practice facility and a Knight Riders Cricket Academy, which he said will help promote and build interest for the game at a grassroots level.

Right now, only three other international-level cricket stadiums operate in the U.S. — in Texas, Florida and North Carolina. The sport is also played in other multipurpose venues such as the Oakland Coliseum.

Fans and players celebrate cricket’s future in the US

Tanush Bhagwat, a 13-year-old fast bowler, traveled from San Diego with his family to watch Wednesday’s game. He plays for two local leagues and hopes to make the major league and play for Team USA someday.

“The ground looks great,” he said. “But the Olympics is going to be even more fun. I can’t wait.”

Raj Walia, an Orange County resident, said the last time he watched live cricket in Los Angeles was an exhibition match between India and Pakistan in 1989. He showed up with about 30 friends and family members to catch the first game played in the new stadium.

“I’m excited about Major League Cricket,” he said. “I think cricket is increasing in popularity and it’ll become even bigger with the Olympics.”

Saurabh Netravalkar, a fast bowler with the winning Washington Freedom team, earned Player of the Match on Wednesday for taking three wickets while conceding only 16 runs. Also a member of the national team, Netravalkar said he enjoyed playing at the new stadium.

“It’s heartening to see the vibe, the crowd,” he said. “It’s so great for the sport in this country.”

Netravalkar, 34, said he never thought he would get to see cricket make it to the Olympics during his career.

“But, it’s really happening, and that’s exciting,” he said. “Cricket in the U.S. has evolved exponentially over the last five years. We’re on the right track.”

Karthik Gattepalli, a 26-year-old left-arm spinner for the Los Angeles Knight Riders, said he relished playing with his teammates before an excited home crowd.

“Having the local fans, the vibe, the view of the mountains,” he said. “This is something you can’t beat.”

Gattepalli, who played for the Under-19 U.S. team, sees Major League Cricket as an opportunity for “homegrown kids” like him to thrive in large venues and “make it to the Olympics.”

League CEO Johnny Grave said he and others leading the growth of cricket in the U.S. are now focused on the Olympics.

“The legacy of 2028 is what we’re most interested in,” he said. “Today is just the start of this level of professional cricket coming to Los Angeles and Southern California. This is a permanent base for cricket.”

The 18th-century coaching inn sits six miles north-west of Barnard Castle on the B6277, surrounded by the sheep-dotted fields and moorland of the North Pennines.

It is owned and run by the Robinson family, who also own Headlam Hall near Darlington, and has been quietly building a devoted following for years.

Here is what keeps people coming back.

The bar

The bar at The Rose and Crown is the kind of room that is almost impossible not to love.

Stone-flagged floors, old wooden beams, rural knick-knacks on every surface and a big open fireplace that earns its keep for most of the year.

It serves local real ales, more than 50 wines, a wide selection of gins including local varieties, and over 15 Islay malts.

Dogs are welcome under the table.

Lunch and dinner are served daily, with outdoor seating on the front terrace when the weather allows.

“This is probably the most dog-friendly place I’ve ever been in and the food is superb,” wrote one TripAdvisor reviewer in February 2026.

“There is a great selection of beer, wines and spirits.”

The food

Head chef Dave Hunter, who has worked at two Michelin-starred level restaurants during his career, leads a kitchen that balances hearty pub classics with fine-dining plates built around local produce from County Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire.

The lunch menu offers dishes like ham hock terrine, smoked haddock omelette and venison pie, while evenings in the oak-panelled dining room step up to more ambitious cooking.

Sunday lunch is described by the team as “a real highlight” and can be taken in either the bar or the restaurant.

SquareMeal called the cooking “pretty polished,” singling out a twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé and sea bream with fennel as setting “a highly satisfying standard that held up at every turn.”

The Good Hotel Guide praised the “thoughtful, well-prepared food” and noted readers’ appreciation for small details: “food served on hot plates, and staff who listen to your requests.”

The rooms

The Rose and Crown has 14 bedrooms spread between the main 18th-century inn, a single-storey courtyard mews and a 17th-century cottage called Monk’s Cottage, which overlooks the green and the church.

Rooms feature period details, beamed ceilings, exposed stone and antiques alongside locally made furniture, Molton Brown bathroom products, fresh milk for the tea tray and homemade biscuits.

The majority of rooms are dog-friendly.

“An amazing place,” wrote one TripAdvisor guest.

“Attention to comfort is exceptional.

“The rooms are warm, beds are excellent, food is wonderful and the place itself is beautiful.”

The Telegraph described the inn as having “a relaxed warmth and well-judged sense of rustic charm that strikes a happy balance,” calling it “a foodie-destination country inn that has smartened up while still maintaining its village pub credentials.”

The setting

Much of what makes The Rose and Crown special is the village around it.

Romaldkirk is one of the prettiest settlements in Teesdale, its stone houses grouped around a broad green with the Church of St Romald, a medieval building of Saxon origins, at its heart.

High Force waterfall is less than 10 miles up the dale.

Raby Castle is a short drive east.

Barnard Castle, with the Bowes Museum, is six miles away.

The Good Hotel Guide called it “an ideal base for walking and wildlife enthusiasts.”

Planning your visit

Address: Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 9EB
Getting there: Six miles north-west of Barnard Castle on the B6277; 20 miles from the A1 at Scotch Corner
Opening times: Daily from 11am; lunch 12pm-2.30pm; dinner 6pm-8.30pm; Sunday lunch 12pm-2pm
Rooms: From £150 per night; 14 bedrooms, majority dog-friendly
Booking: rose-and-crown.co.uk or 01833 650213
Awards: TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice; Sawday’s Best Authentic Pub 2020; Good Hotel Guide Editors’ Choice 2020

Two European heavyweights will look to book their place in the World Cup round of 16 today as Portugal and Croatia meet in the last-32 in Toronto. Neither side enjoyed a perfect group stage, though Croatia did manage to bounce back well from a tough-to-take 4-2 defeat by England in their tournament opener. They responded with a nervy defeat of Panama and a rather more impressive one against Ghana, which took their points tally to a respectable six. The veteran Luka Modric has been in fine form this summer and will be key to any success today.

A member of the council described the building as “not a pretty site”

Peterborough City Council has agreed to enter into a series of property transactions that will enable Bretton Court to be sold and redeveloped.

Members of the council’s Shareholders Committee met on Tuesday, June 30 to rubber-stamp plans which will see the former office and retail building in Bretton sold to a developer. The sale has come about because the property’s owner Medesham – of which the council is a designated member – is in the process of being dismantled.

Emma Riding, the council’s Service Director of Financial Services, presented a report to the committee which described Bretton Court as “not a pretty sight” which “attracts antisocial behaviour.” Ms Riding also explained that the process for disposing of Bretton Court was “quite complex.”

In essence, the process will see the council surrender its two leases in the property in order to allow Medesham Homes to sell the property to a local developer.

The report stated: “The Medesham board has taken the decision to sell the property and has received an offer from a local developer which, subject to approval, Medesham board would like to proceed with the sale of the property.”

Along with five ground-floor retail units, Bretton Court features upper-floor offices, a rear car park and a former pub. During discussion, Cllr Steve Allen (Cons) said: “I need to determine; when you say ‘redevelop the site,’ does that mean refurbishment or demolition?”

Ms Riding responded: “At the minute, there is planning permission for 45 apartments [and] the prospective buyer is proposing to at least take that up another level.”

“…So keep the structure and build on it?” Cllr Allen suggested.

“At the minute,” Ms Riding agreed, adding “but they [developers] are committed to wider development of what they can do around it.”

Following a query from the Committee’s chair, Cllr Mohammed Jamil, Ms Riding and her colleague Chris Pike (Principal Development Surveyor) confirmed that the nearby health centre is not deemed to be part of the Bretton Court site.

The sale of Bretton Court will be the first step in dismantling Medesham Homes. The report states that, following the disposal of Bretton Court, Cross Keys Homes will acquire the council’s remaining interest in Medesham, thereby enabling the council to cease being a member of the Medesham group.