Silbury Hill forum 180 room
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Had an e-mail on 13 September from Dr Robert Bewley (EH Planning and Development Regional Director SW) saying that a date for the meeting had not yet been set but I'd be advised as soon as details had been finalised. Haven't heard any more since. Think this might need to be handled <i>very</i> carefully - clear and concise arguments from 'us' with plenty of people from the media present in order to get a well-publicised open forum. Not sure if the Avebury Social Club is such a good idea - there's at least one good venue in Devizes and surely more in Marlborough; how about Marlborough College? Let's keep this meeting as high profile as possible.

well Paul, I disagree.
Many of the locals who have lived in the shadow of Silbury all their lives won't come to a meeting if it is outside of Avebury.
Maybe its time to listen to people like the Greenaway family who have looked after the up keep of Silbury for generations.
All these Blow Ins with their grand ideas of what is right and wrong could do with listening to a bit of commen sense once in a while, not that the powers that be would take much note at the end of the day.
The social club can hold enough people for a meeting, anywhere else bigger is more suited to a lecture from EH.

"Think this might need to be handled very carefully"

Quite. It's all about the agenda, and whether some very specific information owed to the public is delivered to them or not. I don't intend to sit through a meeting that doesn't do that.

I see no point in anyone spending time saying what they think should be done or on EH presenting a "review" aimed at the rectifying five years of non-transparency (much though it's needed). Every minute on those or on questions about maintenance or access or crystal skulls is a minute not spent on the issue that matters: the announced repair solution's apparent total disconnection with the published data.

Thankfully, EH have informed me that the research agenda is no longer relevant to the decision: "Any archaeological investigation and recording is a secondary consideration". Good. The issue has now become a very simple structural one and there will be no need to even mention research dividends at the meeting since to do so would clearly involve influencing opinion by reference to secondary issues that have zero bearing on Silbury's structural welfare. "The structural realities and why they suggest that tunnelling is the answer" is the only concern, all else would be counter-productive flim flam. Focus is all.