Page 30 - Demo

30 Phonebox Magazine | August 2025A New Town for Milton KeynesPart of the new Government%u2019s manifesto was to build a number of new towns across the country. Milton Keynes was highlighted early on as a likely site for such a new town, and as this would clearly be in the rural areas, we have been keeping a close eye on what was being reported. A report was published in June which didn%u2019t provide as much detail as we had hoped, i.e. it didn%u2019t say where the new town in Milton Keynes would go, but it did confi rm that Milton Keynes was top of the list to have one. Sometime in the autumn, we expect that another paper will be published with a map highlighting the area the new town will encompass. While the process for building a new town is not yet confi rmed, it%u2019s highly likely that a development corporation will be set up as it was for Milton Keynes in 1967. They will have the right to purchase all land within the designated area under compulsory purchase arrangements and will then develop the town. Milton Keynes City Council will not be the planning authority; it will be the new development corporation. We will keep you all informed when we know more.A509 %u2013 Reopening from Newport Pagnell to Junction 14In late June and early July, several articles and posts on social media appeared seeking confi rmation that the route will open on 31st August as had been previously reported. To avoid erroneous information being disseminated, Keith asked Laing O%u2019Rourke directly and received the following: %u201cThe A509 is still on track to open to Junction 14 of the M1 on 31st August, as planned.%u201d Let us hope there is not too much rain between now and then!New City Plan Delay While a new town is coming, the remainder of Milton Keynes will also have to deliver a new local plan, deciding where new houses will be built between now and 2050. This process started in February 2024 and was supposed to be almost completed by now, with the fi nal round of consultation underway. However, the consultation on the fi nal plan has also been delayed, so we are waiting for this to start, likely now in September. This is important as this will allocate any areas for housing in rural communities, as well as the massive expansion area between Moulsoe, North Crawley, Chicheley and Sherington. We do know that another signifi cant site has been entered in Lavendon, and sensibly, the parish is taking the opportunity to meet with the site promoters to listen to what they are proposing. When the plan is published, we will let you know what is proposed and how you can engage in the consultation process.Verge cutting and Litter PickingAs spring progressed, the verges started to grow and grow, but no one knows when they will be cut. At the MKCC Council meeting in July, Keith asked yet again for a schedule to be published each week of where verges were to be cut in the next few weeks. He was told by the Cabinet member responsible for landscaping that this was not possible, as the schedule is dynamic! We fi nd this strange, given that Highways publishes each Friday, where they will be working the following week.On a similar vein, Peter asked the same Cabinet member about the state of the verges after they had been cut. Even though there is a %u201cpriority to ensure that the litter is picked before mowing%u201d as advised by a senior Council offi cer, this does not seem to happen. Peter asked whether it was acceptable for the rubbish not to have been picked after the cut, even though this would mean collecting more items, as many bits of detritus would have been shredded during the cutting. The Cabinet member agreed it was not acceptable and said she would investigate what was going wrong. Olney Ward Councillor Corner CONTACT DEBBIE:Tel: 07494 681907 / debbie.whitworth@miltonkeynes.gov.ukMy ward surgeries are every Tuesday, 10am-12pm at the Olney Centre. No need to book, just pop along.Cllr Debbie WhitworthOlney Ward Councillor CornerCllr Keith McLean Cllr Peter GearyCONTACT US: Keith: 07983 456081 keith.mclean@milton-keynes.gov.uk :: Peter: 07774 939404 peter.geary@milton-keynes.gov.ukAnti-Social Behaviour/Criminal activityI am aware of the frustration many residents and businesses currently feel, but to ensure the right police resources are allocated to Olney (particularly the recreation area), reports need to be made via phone on 101 or reported online%u00a0%u2013 the same applies to neighbouring villages.%u00a0%u00a0It is a fact that police resources will understandably go to where the calls and reports dictate.As your ward councillor, I reached out to MKCC and requested a multi-agency approach to help tackle the ongoing ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) at the Rec (to include Thames Valley Police / Bucks Fire & Rescue Service).A partnership meeting was agreed by MKCC (between OTC/MKCC/TVP/BFRS) and subsequently kindly arranged by the community safety offi cer, which I%u2019m happy to report took place on Friday, 11th July, at the recreational ground in Olney.No BBQs or fi res should be lit on the recreation ground, as any damage caused %u2018will be reported as arson%u2019.There is an Alcohol PSPO %u00a0in place, and anyone breaching the PSPO and committing ASB could be liable for a fi xed penalty notice of %u00a3100.We will be working together to ensure that the Olney Rec remains a safe and enjoyable space for everyone.%u00a0 Please report any ASB to TVP in the fi rst instance.Yardley Manor Estate Community BuildingVistry Homes provided MKCC and OTC with a timetable for the development of the Community Centre in February 2025, which outlined an anticipated completion of works scheduled for late August 2025 and a handover of the facility in September/October 2025.%u00a0Initial site establishment, foundation and substructure works were carried out in February and March as per the initial timetable, but works on site have subsequently stopped, with limited to no progress since.At a meeting on 2nd July 2025, it was reported that, for a number of reasons, progress had been delayed and that a new programme for the development of the Community Centre had been prepared, which pushed back the completion date until February 2026. At this meeting, OTC (myself as Ward and Mayor and an offi cer from MKCC) made it absolutely clear that this further delay to a project that is already several years late in delivery was %u2018not%u2019 acceptable.%u00a0Vistry Homes subsequently outlined that they would carry out an immediate review of this programme and the contract they hold with their subcontractor (who is contracted to deliver the Community Centre), with a view to expediting delivery. MKCC and OTC outlined that delivery beyond the end of 2025 would not be acceptable.The developers are legally required to deliver the Community Building onsite and have not met the stipulated timescales for when the building should have been delivered.%u00a0 There is therefore%u00a0 some potential to review whether legal action could be taken by MKCC against the developers.%u00a0Options are being investigated.I want to end this section on a positive note by expressing thanks to all the residents of YM and members of the YM steering group, in particular Chris Slezakowski and Cath Rogers, who continue to work exceedingly hard in heading up the group, bringing residents%u2019 issues and concerns to the table at meetings with developers, OTC and MKCC.%u00a0