Page 52 - Phonebox Magazine March 2011

Councillor Corner
A contribution from Cllr Debbie Brock and Cllr Peter Geary
NUN WOOD WIND FARM
The end of another chapter. Plans for a wind farm at Nun Wood were first revealed in the late summer of 2005 and it was only in the middle of February this year that a decision was made on whether development should be allowed.
You may recall that just before Christmas the developer tried to appeal the fact that a decision had not been made by the three planning authorities involved. The
appeal for both Wellingborough and
Bedford was rejected as they had not allowed long enough for them to decide (the developer appealed 2 days too soon) In the case of Milton Keynes however they had allowed just long enough and the appeal was registered, but Milton Keynes Development Control Committee still had to make the decision on what they would have done if they could have decided.
field as Cambridge, Hertfordshire
and South Bucks, including 16
teams from Milton Keynes Schools
and 3 from Ousedale alone. Each of the teams are appointed a business mentor who meets with the teams on a regular basis and gives them the benefits of their business knowledge to guide the business through all its stages.
Some people choose to manufacture and market products, some will buy products and add value to them while others will just offer services such as Events Organising. The teams are due to be judged in a few weeks time with the winners going into the Bucks final which is held at the beginning of May. We were extremely impressed by the range of products and the amount of innovation that had been used to market them. Some of the teams had shown huge talent and we wish them all, especially the Ousedale students luck in the coming judging.
NEXT STEPS
Lloyds Court, Milton Keynes has seen the opening of
Bedford Borough were the first to make
a decision. They held a meeting on the
14th of February and refused the planning application due to the visual impact it would have on the surrounding area. Later that week, Milton Keynes held its meeting. The item was given a full hearing with 5 members of the public speaking against the proposal they were UKIP MEP Derek Clark, Graham Mabbutt & Nigel Stickells both Lavendon residents, Kate Gregory a local business woman who would be affected by the development and Brian Skittrall the chairman of BLOT. As ward councillors we also both spoke against the application. Interestingly, the developer who has the right to defend the application did not come to either meeting which surprised many. Many issues were discussed including the poor quality of the
a new skills & careers advice centre for adults. Next Step is available to clients over the phone, on the web
www.direct.gov.uk/nextstep and via face to face service that will now be delivered from their offices in Lloyds Court. Debbie visited the offices on their opening day & was impressed by the friendly, welcoming and really helpful advice that was being given. The team can advise on CVs, interview skills, job searching, reviewing training needs and finding training courses. They also offer practical advice for those facing redundancy.
The team particularly are targeting those with lower levels of skills, Jobcentre plus clients, older workers and ethnic minority communities. Age UK have been working very closely with Next Step in supporting those wishing to get back to work. If you feel you need help please contact free phone 0800 100 900
Akira-Shi
application and the lack of consultation for the most recent application. After long discussions the application was refused by the committee unanimously. We now await the meeting in Wellingborough, due to take place in March. It is expected that the Bedford decision will be appealed and this will join with the current appeal for non- determination running with the Milton Keynes part of the application, likely to be
NEW PILATES STUDIO OLNEY
When times are tough it is particularly good to see new businesses opening in Olney, an opening that Debbie had the pleasure of attending this month was the Pilates Studio at 5 The Galleries, Olney. The business is owned and operated by local resident Heather Claridge and is a great new addition to the town giving people the chance to undertake Pilates in some really good specially refurbished premises. For more information Heather can be contacted on 01234 881068 or there will be more details in next months article.
THE ROYAL WEDDING
heard later on this year, probably in the autumn. We will of course continue to update you on this.
YOUNG ENTERPRISE
Every year a scheme called Young Enterprise runs across the country. Groups of 6th formers from schools and colleges set up
Pilates Studio
Waxycans
businesses and then trade the business throughout the course of the competition, hopefully making a profit and then liquidate it at the end of the scheme duration. The businesses are judged through out the year in various stages and are presented with various awards as they move between groups. On the 20th February, various teams from the surrounding counties gathered in Middleton Hall at the Centre MK to set up stalls and sell their various products. Almost 70 teams were present from as far a
A great event for us all to look forward to will be the Royal Wedding taking place on April 29th this year. Many local communities are organising celebrations which will be very special to each place. Milton Keynes is not organising one specific celebration however as Mayor of Milton Keynes Debbie will be launching a Royal Wedding Poetry Competition in conjunction with local Milton Keynes Poet, Mark Niel. There will be 3 classes for all age groups to have a chance at expressing themselves about what the Royal Wedding means to them. The classes will be 12 and under, 13 to 18 and 18 and over. We will be announcing shortly the fine details but if you would like more information please contact mayorsoffice@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Our surgery will take place on Friday March 4th and Friday 8th April from 7.30-8.30pm at The Olney Centre. Please feel free to come along if you have any issue with which we can help or contact us at any time on the details given.
52 Phonebox Magazine
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