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16 Phonebox Magazine | May 2025Mercury ReportPublic ParticipationThere is a 15 minute open forum at the start of every meeting of Olney Town Council (OTC) where members of the public may speak on any matters that concern them. The council is not permitted to respond to questions or discuss the matters raised, but may agree to add them to the agenda of a future meeting. There were two members of the public wishing to speak at this month%u2019s meeting, both on the subject of the tower crane site on Warrington Road.The fi rst was Jim Cooper who informed the council that as well as concrete block manufacturing the operator appeared to be intending to perform three further manufacturing processes on the site. These were not mentioned on the latest planning application (27th March) and were only detailed on one drawing, he said. These are a balustrade welding area, a paint shop and a Re-Bar (steel reinforcement) cage manufacturing welding area. As something of an expert in this area Jim said the welding of high tensile steel requires a very specialised technique. These additional processes will increase HGV movements and involve the use and storage of dangerous gases and industrial grade paint and there was no mention of the type of gas or how and where it will be stored.The waste management plan does not detail how the concrete waste or the highly toxic chemical additives and oil required to remove the concrete blocks from the moulds will be dealt with, said Jim. The plans show the yard to be full of crane parts with no indication of where the concrete blocks and Re-Bar cages will be manufactured or stored. In his experience the material for these cages could be up to 9m (30ft) long and he doubted the existing yard would be big enough for storage and access. Not one of the planning applications had mentioned manufacturing or heavy industrial use and on these points alone Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) would be justified in enforcing the eviction notice already served. The company has been operating illegally for the last 18 months and lying by claiming that the cranes were required for the construction work. Their current appeal is just a ploy to enable them to carry on using the crane illegally on site for another year, said Jim. Finally he said that OTC should invite the MKCC Planning Committee to visit the site to see what a mess it has become and not be taken in by the architects drawings which show a neat and tidy yard, which it isn%u2019t and never will be.Next to speak on the same subject was Kevin Viney who started by praising the OTC Development Committee for listening to residents%u2019 concerns at the recent meeting. He also mentioned what he considered the fl agrant violation of planning intent and environmental responsibility. The risk of hazardous slurry contaminating the river evokes scenes from the fi lm Erin Brockovich he said, which is a real and immediate threat to the community. There had been a clear directive from the MKCC Ecology Offi cer to protect a habitat-rich hedge and to halt any tree felling until a bat survey had been carried out, which was knowingly defied as both the hedge and trees had been torn down the week before. It was not merely a matter of planning procedure, Kevin said, but a battle for the character safety and environmental integrity of Olney.An email had been received from a visitor who said they had been struck by the town%u2019s strong sense of community and welcoming atmosphere, with a well preserved character and charm and a level of pride that is rare to see.Apologies for absence and declarations of interestDan Rowland had sent apologies. There were no declarations of interest. Approve minutes of previous meetingMayor Debbie Whitworth asked if there were any comments on the draft minutes before moving to ask for a proposer and seconder to confi rm that they were accurate. Normally this passes either without comment or a member may request clarifi cation or amendment but on this occasion Deidre Bethune asked whether members are allowed to comment, suggesting that there might have been some discussions on the matter outside of the meeting. Town Clerk Jane Brushwood replied that Standing Orders stated that if there was anything to be said it should be raised before the meeting so once the minutes are presented at the meeting they are %u2018considered as read%u2019, which rather defeats the object of the agenda item thought Mercury. Something for the May meeting when Standing Orders are reviewed, suggested Deirdre.Ward Councillor%u2019s reportPeter Geary was present to give this month%u2019s report. He reported that MKCC Electoral Services are undertaking a review to decide if OTC should be warded. He explained that currently all standing councillors are voted for by residents of every part of the town but warding would mean that the town is split up into two or more parts and councillors would just represent their part of the town. This is not surprising, he said, as Olney is currently rare among similar sized towns such as Newport Pagnell, Bletchley and Stony Stratford in not being warded and when the entire council comes up for election, as it did after Covid, this leads to very long lists of candidates. He said that this has been proposed a number of times and each time rejected, with residents expressing a wish that the town council should represent the whole town. It is important that residents understand the issue and are able to make their views known at the appropriate time, he said. Referring to the planning applications on %u2018the employment site to the north of the town%u2019 (otherwise known as the crane site) Peter said he had taken note of residents%u2019 and OTC%u2019s concerns. David Chennells asked Peter to explain the advantages of warding. Peter replied that it made the electoral process simpler and theoretically leads to better representation of a particular area, since the bigger the town gets the less connection one person has with the whole of it, although he didn%u2019t seem convinced. Referring to the %u2018crane site%u2019 planning applications, David said that MKCC planners do not have great history in knowing the difference between domestic/retail areas and industrial areas. They have allowed industrial development near the Green Burial Ground on Yardley Road because of lax planning investigations and it looks like the crane area is going the same way, he said. Is there anything that can be done to point out to MKCC that this is industrial development in a non-industrial zone? While not attempting to explain the MKCC point of view Peter said that the site was included in the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) as employment land and whether the current applications survive or fail will depend upon how they fi t with the wording of the NP. It is important that objections explain why they do not fulfi l the NP, MKCC%u2019s planning plans or the National Planning Policy Framework he said. However, even if planning permission is granted development could still be refused on environmental health or health and safety grounds. Chris Tennant clarifi ed the current situation explaining that there are two separate strands running. The fi rst is the enforcement notice that MKCC issued last year requiring the operator to cease operations and remove equipment from site, which they failed to do, instead mounting an appeal which is now being considered by the Planning Inspectorate (the Secretary of State). Secondly there is the live planning application which is a variation to the already granted planning permission. The NP identifi ed the site for light industrial use and distribution, not heavy industrial and certainly not storage he said. It will hopefully be called in for consideration by the full planning committee (as opposed to Delegated Decision by a planning offi cer). Peter said even then it wouldn%u2019t be fi nally decided there because the operator had a right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate who could overturn any decision and developers know how to play the game.Chris Tennant said representatives of OTC will attend the MKCC Planning Committee meeting, provisionally scheduled for 7th May at the MKCC offi ces and use their three minutes to present their objections. Peter said that three members of the public also had a right to speak along with the ward councillors.In her role as ward councillor, Debbie Whitworth reported that a schedule for the refresh of worn and faded yellow lines was now available. East Street is included for this F/Y year, Spring Lane, Holes Lane, Spinney Hill Road and the disabled parking spaces by the shops in Market Place are included for the next F/Y. Repair of the