Kents Hill Park Schools Consultation

The organisations who will manager the schools at Kents Hill Park have been appointed, and it’s good news: they both run outstanding schools locally at present.

The SEN unit will function as an extra campus of the existing Slated Row school.

The primary and secondary schools will be run as one all-through school, but taking in extra children at each stage, by the Kingsbridge Educational Trust, who run Oakgrove at present.

Kingsbridge are consulting on the admissions arrangements for their school now, and you can have your say.  The details are on their website at www.kentshillpark.school and the consultation closes on Wednesday 29th November at 5pm.

Basically, they are proposing that:

  • the infant school will be sized for, and have catchment of, Kents Hill Park only.
  • The junior school will have the same catchment as Heronsgate School – Kents Hill and Kents Hill Park homes will be most of the closest ones giving them priority.  Children who attend the infant school will have an automatic junior place.
  • The secondary school will have a catchment to the west of our area, plus Kents Hill Park, but not the rest of our area.  Children who attend the junior school will have an automatic secondary school place.

Please respond to the consultation and also let us know what you think.  Thank you.

STOP PRESS: Meeting re Kents Hill Park Developments

The developers have announced details of their meeting:

Consultation on Residential and Private Hospital Developments on Kents Hill Park
Thursday 21st September 2017 6-8pm
Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre
Swallow House, Timbold Drive, Kents Hill Park, MK7 6BZ

They are hoping to get the planning application in by the end of September, and there will be a formal consultation (but no meeting) then, but this is your chance to request changes before they finalise the application.

See you there!

Kents Hill Park West Plans

Spire Healthcare met with Councillors and Parish Councillors recently for a preview of the latest draft of their plans.

They are planning a private hospital and 140 homes to be built on the fields on Kents Hill off Timbold Drive. The woodland strip between that and the existing homes will stay, but they wanted part of it as private space behind the hospital. (Techically it’s private now apart from the bit the Parks Trust own.)  We told them that most residents wanted public access to the woodland.

The hospital will be a private hospital, which means that they plan it as a separate business, not as an integral part of local health care, but they do hope to take some patients under contracts from MK General Hospital.  They wouldn’t comment on how many.  They will have a critical care department, but they will not take in emergency cases so there should be no ambulances with sirens.

The hospital building will be in the area shown on our last Focus leaflet, and will be three storeys high, set down the slope a bit so that it’s no higher than the houses behind. It will have its own car park.  The housing will be 2-3 storeys.  There will be a shop and play areas.

What Next? – A Public Meeting

They are intending to hold a public exhibition/meeting as soon as they have finished checking their plans, in September.  We were given the probable date of the evening of Sept. 21st, but we don’t have any details or confirmation yet.  We will update this website when we hear.

They then hope to put the planning application in a couple of weeks after the public meeting, once they’ve made any changes from the consultation.  The application will be a full application for the hospital, and an outline application for the housing – saying how many homes, shops, etc, will be where, and where the access will be, so that traffic issues can be assessed.  All other details of the housing will be reserved to be decided later.  That application will be on MK Council’s website for public comments, before being decided, and they hope that work will start on the hospital in spring 2018.

After that, probably autumn 2018, they will put a “reserved matters” application in with the details of the housing. That will then go onto MK Council’s website for public comment, before a decision is made on that.

In the meantime, the Government Inspector has examined the policy to put a mix of the hospital and housing on the site.  His report won’t come for several weeks, but he appeared to be content with the policy.

Road Noise

Jenni Ferrans has investigated road noise coming from the V10 across Caldecotte Lake.

Jenni Ferrans listens to the noise across Caldecotte Lake.

Residents in some parts of Walton Park have been hearing a lot more noise from the H10 recently – while others nearer the road are hearing nothing more than usual!  The Focus team has looked into it.  It is mainly due to the Parks Trust severely cutting back some trees, increased traffic and partly weather conditions leading to extra noise across the water.

 

Cark Park Flooding Fixed

Vanessa in the car park at Walnut Tree pavilion. And her feet are dry!

Vanessa in the car park at Walnut Tree pavilion. And her feet are dry!

Cllrs Vanessa McPake and Jenni Ferrans have just confirmed that the work that was done to extend the car park at Walnut Tree Pavilion is at long last complete.  The flooding is gone!  The Council had to get the new company to dredge the channel near the grid road as well as putting in a drain after the contractor was taken over.

Keep our Grit Bins!

Your Lib Dem councillors are campaigning to keep our grit bins.   The Council wants to cut them in their budget.  We want to keep them!  The Council said that Parishes could take them over – but could not quote any costs for filling them!  We are campaigning for them to stay in the Council’s budget – at least until their future can be sorted out properly.

 

Fix our Bus Shelter

Jenni and Vanessa shivering at the bus shelter in Dunchurch Dale.

Jenni and Vanessa shivering at the bus shelter in Dunchurch Dale.

Thanks to the resident who spotted that the bus shelter in Dunchurch Dale, Walnut Tree was broken.  The glass panel that should be at the front to keep you warm was standing loose beside the shelter! Your Lib Dem team reported it to MK Council and they have removed the panel for safety, and will repair it soon.