Hi folks. There's some progress for our campaign. Firstly, the council has extended the time for consultation for the application until 26th May, which gives you a bit longer to add your comments to the application if you haven't already. Secondly, after a meeting with council we were heartened to find later in the day Natural England had objected to the application. This is the body responsible for Local Nature Reserves and it has objected for exactly the reasons Friends of Asker Meadows were arguing in the morning meeting. But far from being complacent this means we need to keep objecting to the application on the official District Council site: http://bit.ly/23agzXQ . Already the application will have to go to committee as there have been so many comments. But we need more. Please read the application carefully before you do, especially the Design and Access statement. An excuse one member of the council is using for ignoring the massive protest against the plan, is that people don't understand their intentions. We think people do: The council want to set a precedent for car parking within a Local Nature Reserve which, in law, has been set up for wildlife and recreation. Hopefully, after we've had a few moments to live our everyday lives, we'll have time to post some more thoughts on the best way to make objections. We've attached a short report about our meeting with the councillors below: On Friday 13th May, seven FAM supporters met with some councillors and staff from Bridport Town Council to discuss the parking application. The Council reiterated that they intend to press ahead with the application, because they felt this was the best way to get a response from other bodies and the general public. They are also in a hurry to get the application passed in time for the summer, and although they say they want to amend it, want it to be decided by West Dorset District Council in its present form. We sympathised with the dilemma faced by the council because they are under huge pressure from some of the businesses in town to provide parking. We say some, because a good number of shopkeepers and stallholders have signed our petition against parking on the Nature Reserve, and two Bridport business owners were present at the meeting. But our main point was that, although the Council own the field, it is in a Local Nature Reserve, whose statutory purpose is to protect and enrich wildlife, provide the public with enjoyment of it, and to create access to open-air recreation. The councillor who is keenest on the proposal was unaware that this field was in the Nature Reserve. This is therefore not a valid site to alleviate Bridport's parking issues. The council said again, that despite the application being for three months of Saturdays (13 this year) and an unspecified number of events and festivals, it was now only their intention to use the site on seven occasions this year. We pointed out again that, even if it were the case, the application would be judged on what it says, not what they are privately intending. Hope that keeps you in the loop Best wishes Ged, Wendy, Toni and Rich for Friends of Asker Meadows