Election Results for MK Council

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the people who voted to keep Vanessa McPake as your Councillor in Monkston ward of Milton Keynes Council.  She was re-elected for another 4 year term.  The result was:

Vanessa McPake  (Lib Dem)          1337
Vicki McLean (Conservative)             907
Vikas Chandra (Labour)                    545

After the result was declared, newly re-elected Vanessa McPake said:  “The Lib Dems fought our campaign on local issues.   Local to the residents of Monkston ward.  And we won with a 430 majority, fantastic.    I should like to say a very big Thank You to those who voted for me and helped in the campaign.  Your kind words about how we work all year round, and how you never see the other Parties, were inspiring.”

Overall on Milton Keynes Council, the only change was that Lib Dem Marie Bradburn won the Bradwell seat from David Lewis (Labour), which means that the Council is now:

Labour                         22
Conservative               22
Lib Dem                       13

All three parties will now be reviewing options about how the Council can be run.

Anthony Stansfield, the Conservative candidate, was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley authority.

Elections in Monkston ward

We have three sets of voting going on soon locally.

On May 5th we have the election for councillors on Milton Keynes Council.  You can see the Lib Dem Manifesto for Milton Keynes here.

V McP cropOur local candidate is Cllr Vanessa McPake, who has served this area as a councillor or campaigner for ten years, and is standing for re-election as a councillor.  She is now campaigning to:

  • Get more houses built that our children can afford
  • Clean up the litter grot spots with more flexible litter picking
  • Increase our evening and weekend buses
  • Safeguard and maintain our lovely landscape
  • Work with parish councils to keep our play areas.

Also on May 5th we have the election for a Police Commissioner.  This is the elected person who oversees the Police in the whole of Thames Valley.  Lib Dems believe that one person cannot possibly represent the interests of such a wide area, but that is the system we have, so we have to work with it at present.

Our candidate is John Howson, who is campaigning to cut crime, not constables!  He points out that if we can use modern methods to increase detection rates, and use the best methods of dealing with each category of offender to reduce reoffending, then we will reduce crime without needing to spend more!  Win-Win!

You can see more about his campaign on the Thames Valley Police website at https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/area/thames-valley

Finally, on June 23rd we have the big one – the referendum on whether to Remain In the EC or to Leave the EC.  You can see the Lib Dem party comment on this here.  After the Council elections, we’ll put more on this website about the issues for Milton Keynes.

Developments near Walton Grange

The MK Local Plan designates the area around Walton Grange for development, and a number of plans and development briefs have been prepared that will shape the developments.  This article gives you an overview, with links to more information about each part.  It will be updated as things change.

The phase 1 plans (see below) are now out for consultation, until 25th October, so have your say!

Overview

A planning brief defines the development opportunities and constraints and suggests a broad general shape that the development might follow.  For larger developments, Outline plans and Reserved matters (the rest of the detail) then follow, while for smaller developments, we go straight to a detailed plan.  Both the development brief and the plans are consulted on, so you have the chance to express your views.  However, it’s important to understand that what the Council is allowed to insist upon, and sometimes even what they are allowed to propose, is limited by planning law.

The area around Walton Grange is divided into two: the area currently owned by MSD, the company opposite across Hulwell Gate, and the area currently owned by MKDP, the Council’s development arm.

The MKDP land

The MKDP area, known as Walton Manor, was the subject of a Development Brief consultation last year.  If you want to see what was consulted on, then please click here, and search for the keywords Walton Manor.   The brief was delayed for a variety of reasons, and extra technical information has led to a change.  The new version is being prepared at present, and will be published soon.  We will update this article when it comes out. We’re not expecting any plans until well into 2016.

The MSD Land

MSD also want to develop their existing land, in three phases.

Phase 0 covers the land immediately across Hulwell Drive in front of the flats on Walton Grange.  The plan is to build a very small water treatment plant (basically relocating one they already have), together with a small visitors car park, and a row of landscaping by the road to screen it a little from the flats.  You can see the information we put out on it here.

Phase 1 will include building a new small production plant (to replace an existing one) on the land further in beyond the treatment plant, with landscaping to screen it, and extensions to the car parks near the V10.  They will also add an extra lane to the HGV access within the site, so that vehicles can queue there, and not on Hullwell Gate.  See our leaflet for more details and search for plan 15/02293/FUL on the Council’s website here.  The planning application is out for consultation until 25th October 2015, so please get your comments in, and let us know if you still have any questions.  We have obtained mock-up views of the plant from outside the Abells Close flats and the Harley Drive flats.

Phase 2 will cover two more buildings within their site, and a new large car park near the H9 and access from the H9.  That may reduce traffic on Hulwell Gate.  They have not finalised the planning application yet, so there is nothing to see, but they will do so soon and we will update this article when they do.  The leaflet describes a little more about the phase 2 intentions.

Development Consultation on Kents Hill Park

The Council’s consultation on the planning brief for the developments on Kents Hill Park including both the housing and the schools will close this Sunday, Sept 13th, so please get your comments in to them!  The development proposal comprises:

  • a secondary school to serve the MK south-central area
  • a primary school to serve the new housing plus an extra junior class in each year to take the existing overflow from the area
  • 286-303 homes or small commercial or mixed use units

 

For more information on why it’s happening, and the process being followed, see our Development Special published early this year.

For more information on the proposals and the school proposals, see our KentsHillSpecial2.
Update: Heronsgate have agreed to take the 2016 intake to the junior school, and those children will then stay at Heronsgate until they move up to secondary school.  It’s intended that the new school will open on the new site on Kents Hill in September 2017.

To see the questions residents asked at the meetings the Parish Council convened, and the answers, see our Kents Hill Questions and Answers.

To see the planning brief that the Council is consulting on, see MK Council’s website at
www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/consultations/Consultation/1361

Lindisfarne Drive Parking Restrictions

The Council has finally agreed to consult on restricting parking on the bend at Lindisfarne Drive, Monkston.
They are also proposing double yellow lines around the roundabout with Lanercost/Ulverscroft and across the redway crossing points around the roundabout, to stop people blocking the pathways.

The map of the proposed restrictions is here.

Please send your comments to:
The Network TRO Officer,
Highways Department, Public Realm Services Group,
Synergy Park, Chesney Wold,
Bleak Hall,
Milton Keynes, MK6 1LY
to be received no later than 16th September 2015 quoting reference PH-S1-TRO-127.

No Local GP?

The Focus team at Walnut Tree surgery where expansion is desperately needed

The Focus team at Walnut Tree surgery where expansion is desperately needed

Many people locally can’t register for a GP or NHS Dentist, or have to wait ages for appointments.  The Focus team is calling on NHS England to make more provision available either in Monkston ward, or on the estates immediately next to our homes.

NHS England have now confirmed:

  • Not to expand either MK Village or Walnut Tree surgeries to take new patients
  • to close Broughton Gate surgery and open a new “super-surgery” at Brooklands
  • to send all new patients to that surgery – near Junction 14
  • Walnut Tree surgery to get help to shorten GP waiting times – for those who’ve been able to register there!

We know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of local people, particularly in Monkston, Monkston Park, Kents Hill and Walton Grange, who have not been able to register at either Walnut Tree or MK Village.  This means drastically increased journeys for them, with no direct bus, when they are ill.

If you want to protest about this, and to ask for MK Village and Walnut Tree surgeries to be expanded, and more dentist provision to be made available locally, please:

We have to keep the pressure up on this!  We will be taking your complaints to meetings of the MK Health and Wellbeing Board, so please get lots of signatures!

Dustbin Chaos on Monkston

Residents in one corner of Monkston were completely bemused last week.  First they were told that their rubbish collection day was moving from Tuesday to Wednesday.  And then there was no sign of the rubbish truck!  Thanks to the quick action of Cllr Jenni Ferrans their rubbish was collected – on THURSDAY!

Jenni commented: “Most of the collection went smoothly, but the estate is now split between two rounds. The area of Chetwode Avenue, Lanercost Crescent, Wymondham and the roads off them are supposed to be collected by a different truck, also on Wednesday.  For some reason the truck didn’t collect most of the rubbish last week.  The Focus team still haven’t had an explanation from MK Council but at least we were able to get the rubbish collected the following day.”

Please remember: your rubbish should be out by 7am on collection day.  The area left last week is likely to be collected much earlier than previously.

Election Result 2015

Thank you to all the voters who supported us in the recent MK Council elections.
Sadly, it wasn’t enough and we lost to the Conservatives.  The full result was:

Andrew Buckley (Conservative)  2373
Matt Drewett (Liberal Democrat) 1486
Kathryn Colgrave (Labour)          1326
William Leahy  (Green party)         373
Turnout was 61.89%

Vanessa McPake and Jenni Ferrans continue as councillors and the Focus Team will continue working for you. Thank you again to all who supported us.

Across MK Council, the seats are now as follows:

Party              Seats Now     Change

Labour            23 seats          -2
Conservative  22 seats         +4
Lib Dem          12 seats          0
UKIP                 0 seats         -1
Vacant              0 seats         -1

Success! Kents Hill Footpath Backed by MK Council

At a recent meeting of the Development Control Committee, MK Council agreed to apply formally for the footpath across the playing fields at Kents Hill to be made into a public right of way.

The process now is that:

  • the council draws up the proposed “Order” changing the official right of way map

    Kents Hill Footpath

    Matt with a family using the footpath

  • they publish it and there is a 6-week period to allow for any final objections
  • If no objections are received, the change will then become law.
  • If objections are received, then they send the proposed Order and the objections to an Inspector who decides whether to grant the right of way or not.

Since the Council own the land, and MK Wanderers who lease the playing fields have no objection, it’s very unlikely that there will be any objections.

Walton Grange Water Treatment Plant

MSD, the company opposite Walton Grange, are intending to start the further development of their land.  Cllr Jenni Ferrans and a local resident went to see the site and got more explanation of what they are planning.  You can see a diagram here, or the plans on the MK Council website here and search for 15/00385/FUL.

  • A new small water treatment plant will replace the existing one on the site.  It will be fully contained.  The waste water is piped into sealed tanks, and treated.  That is the same way that it operates at the moment and there was no odour standing just outside the tank shed.  The existing pump can’t be heard or felt even 2 metres away, let alone across the road in a building, so there should be no disturbance from that. The new one will be similar.
  • The existing glass crusher is not moving from its present site, or changing. But they are to fit a canopy over the top. So there will be no disturbance from that
  • A new access road within the site is to start to help reduce congestion on the main road.  They will do more work within the site once the first changes are done, that should reduce the queues significantly.  It won’t change the amount of traffic along Hulwell Gate.
  • A new small visitors parking area will normally only be used in office hours and gives them only a few more spaces than at present.
  • A loading/unloading bay will only be used to deliver chemicals to the treatment tank: one vehicle once a fortnight during office hours.

Both Cllr Ferrans and the resident agreed that there should be no impact on residents apart from the loss of the green field view. Sadly, since the whole area is designated as industrial, there is no protection for that.

Update: the plans were approved in summer 2015 and work will start in November/December 2015.