THE lawyer behind a report into Winchester civic chiefs' unlawful handling of the Silver Hill scheme has refused to provide a publication timetable after months of delays.

Claer Lloyd-Jones was due to publish the results of her £200,000 review into the controversial development last month.

But she has refused to comment on her investigation four months on from its original due date, causing concern among some councillors.

Meanwhile, Cllr Stephen Godfrey, leader of Winchester City Council, has dismissed fears that her findings will be kept secret.

The report, commissioned eight months ago in the wake of a High Court ruling that the council breached European law when it kept the project from commercial tender, was initially due in June before being pushed back to September.

It will address the council's decision-making over several years, including departures from the original development brief, the 2012 Compulsory Purchase Order and how it was defeated at judicial review.

Ms Lloyd-Jones has consistently refused to provide a revised timetable.

"I can't tell you anything," she told the Chronicle, declining further comment.

Initially intended to address the immediate build-up to the unlawful decision, the review is now expected to refer to the scheme's broader history. Ms Lloyd-Jones has read documents dating back to the 1990s and interviewed dozens of key players, some on several occasions.

Council leader Cllr Stephen Godfrey said the report is likely to change "the way we generally do business."

He said: "One would like to have the report, but if I start saying 'where's the timetable?', Ms Lloyd-Jones would come to me and say 'I can't give you a timetable', and no one's better off.

"We don't want to have to compromise on the integrity of the report."

Cllr Godfrey said Ms Lloyd-Jones received "quite a lot of additional information" in August, including a submission from Silver Hill critic Kim Gottlieb which prompted further investigation.

Asked whether the report would be made public, Cllr Godfrey added: "I'm not expecting there to be anything in the report which we would not make public. I would certainly expect it to be entirely in the open."

Cllr Gottlieb said: "I don't think it's keeping anybody awake at night, but [councillors] would like to see what areas she's covered and what she has to say."