MALMESBURY Town Councillors were called to a meeting behind closed doors this week to discuss the repercussions of last week’s Standard front page.

We reported details of controversial secret talks between three councillors and local businessman Andy Nurden over his proposals for developing land just outside the town.

A private session of councillors was called for 6pm on Tuesday, an hour before an advertised planning committee meeting, by mayor Patrick Goldstone in the wake of the revelations.

The Standard attempted to gain access but was barred by Cllr Goldstone. He was adamant that it was a private "informal mayor’s meeting."

The town clerk confirmed it was being held outside council standing orders.

But the summons, sent out to all 16 councillors the day after the story appeared, made it clear the meeting was to discuss how information marked "confidential" should be treated by councillors and the behaviour expected of them.

Cllr Simon Killane, who is also the town’s representative on Wiltshire Council, told the Standard he had serious concerns about the way the meeting was being convened completely in private.

"I didn’t go to the meeting because of the whole legality question," he said.

"All it is doing is just damaging us all. I do not want a witch hunt against anybody."

He added: "This is a meeting where all town councillors are requested to discuss town council business in a town council chamber. It must be a town council meeting. It should therefore have been carried out in accordance with well known council procedures."

He has gone on the record several times to oppose the meetings between a delegation from the planning committee and developers.

The council has also come under sustained criticism from townspeople.

At the planning meeting committee it emerged that at least one more private meeting with a developer is planned before the mayoral handover in May. It concerns former allotments opposite Buildbase on Park Road and will involve Hunter Page Planning.

Committee chairman Ray Sanderson said there was the possibility of a second one in the next civic year.

Notes were released by the clerk on two meetings with White Lion Land, who want to build on a site off Park Road and Gleeson, who have plans for land west of Filands.

But the meeting over the Nurdens Garden Centre land in the neighbouring parish of St Paul Without, which fell between the two, was kept out of the public domain until it was leaked to the Standard.

It revealed proposals for a superstore and business units and a suggestion that the junction with Filands, which has been the scene of many accidents, should be replaced with a roundabout.