Liz Hurley's wedding sparks council complaints

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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A local council chairman has hit out at the disruption that Liz Hurley's wedding will cause in the streets of his Cotswold town.

Tim Petchey, chairman of the town council at Winchcombe described four days of traffic restrictions - starting today - as an 'imposition.'

More here...

• Liz Hurley's wedding plans step up a gear

Preparations: The giant marquee has been erected in the grounds of Sudeley Castle

And he said the way the wedding plans have been handled by the aristocratic owners of historic Sudeley Castle on the outskirts of the town have set back relations with the local community.

Liz Hurley is to marry her Indian businessman boyfriend Arun Nayar in the grounds of Sudeley Castle on Saturday evening.

Happy couple: Liz and Arun will marry on Saturday

Guests at the wedding are expected to include Sir Elton John, Kate Moss and David Beckham. Many are staying in Liz's home village of Barnsley where she has block booked the exclusive 11 bedroom Barnsley House Hotel and the neighbouring Village Pub.

The castle is owned by millionaire socialite Henry Dent-Brocklehurst and his mother Lady Ashcombe and in recent years they have been feuding with locals over plans for a visitor centre and shops in the grounds.

The couple are rumoured to have done a £1 million deal with Hello! magazine and will not want sneak reports appearing in tabloid newspapers.

Today, the first signs of wedding activity appeared at Sudeley Castle. A huge marquee was being erected for the reception.

The couple in question were spotted out and about in London. Hurley was seen entering a photographic studio clutching an enormous bag. Her fiance went off to buy coffee and then disappeared into an address on Wimpole Street.

Dozens of celebrities are expected to attend Saturday's wedding and Gloucestershire police have today imposed town centre parking and traffic restrictions in the streets of the pretty town.

But Mr Petchey voiced the dismay of many town centre traders and community leaders today when he said four days of traffic restrictions will cause huge disruption.

The community has not been properly consulted about the plans, he said.

Residents of the pretty town have been told they cannot park outside their homes from today until Sunday afternoon except to unload shopping or passengers.

Mr Petchey said: "There has been little prior warning and no consultation with the town. "It's a bit of an imposition and I think it's been badly handled by the castle.

"I know it's a personal thing for the Dent-Brocklehurst family to have made the castle available for the event, but we have been building bridges between the castle and the community over the past couple of years and this has destroyed all the good work.

"The wedding is going to attract rubber neckers to the town so I just hope they spend their money here."

The road restructions have been imposed by police and wedding organisers and start today.

Local vicar Rev John Partington, who will be helping to officiate at the ceremony, was more positive today about the event. He described it as "good news for Winchcombe".

The ceremony will take place in St Mary's Church in the castle grounds which was fomerly the parish church of Sudeley.

Henry V111's wife Catherine Parr is buried there and the church was restored by Emma Dent (family name now Dent-Brocklehurst) in the Victorian era.

A police spokesman said: "There will be police staff on duty during this time to enforce the restrictions and where necessary a tow-away policy will operate in order to prevent any obstructions to the highway and allow free passage."

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