FAKE news has been blamed by a West Somerset parish council chairman for interfering with public consultation on proposals to build new homes and a retail shop.
Hundreds of residents took part in a parish council survey and attended an event in Nether Stowey Church Centre.
They were asked for view on plans by the family firm of parish Cllr Andrew Jeanes for 60 homes and a shop on land next to Stogursey Lane.
More than 500 people responded, with 51 per cent against the development and nearly 48 per cent supporting it.
The parish council then decided it would also support the proposals, a decision which one resident told the Free Press ‘left a very nasty taste in the whole community’.
Council chairman Cllr John Roberts in a public statement hit out at ‘misinformation or fake news’ much of which he said was spread on social media by people using ‘obvious false names’.
Cllr Roberts said it was wrongly claimed the village school and its medical centre could not cope with any expansion.
He said developer Strongvox, which was already building new homes in the village, was paying £127,128 toward additional education services and £23,000 to expand GP services.
Cllr Roberts said many people complained about not being able to park near shops or close to their homes, but providing a new car park would cost about £1 million with the parish council having to triple its precept for the next 30 years.
Some people wanted to see the introduction of residents’ parking permits, but that would stop shoppers and visitors going into the village centre, plus, it raised issues of who would police the scheme when, for example, somebody found a non-resident’s car in their space at 10 pm on a Saturday.
Cllr Roberts said: “The parish council would be delighted to take forward any reasonable suggestion that would meet the needs of everybody who needs to park in the centre.
“If you have an idea that is affordable and practical, and has not already been looked at, we would love to hear it.”
Cllr Roberts said although there had been a lot of support for keeping local shops in the centre of Nether Stowey, residents needed to be realistic and recognise that shops failed because their costs outpaced income.
He said: “The only way to keep shops viable is by people spending money in them, and not shopping elsewhere, outside of the village or online, evidenced by the number of home delivery vans circulating the village seven days week.”
Cllr Roberts said the idea of a community shop had been raised which the parish council would be delighted to support, but it would take considerable time and effort to start it and keep it going.
He said those who aimed criticism at the council through a lack of understanding could instead apply to fill an existing vacancy for a councillor or take an hour a month to attend meetings.
The next council meeting will be held in St Mary’s Church Centre on April 14.