January 2024 meeting (published in the February issue)
Public Participation
Trevor Aldred spoke on behalf of the trustees of the East Street Community Centre (previously the Youth Club). Trevor explained that the building is well utilised by about 50 groups each week, including karate, music, Zumba, drama, and others. It is run by a team of three unpaid volunteers and a modest rent is paid to Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) as the landlords. Trevor said the heating in the building was installed in around 1966 and is now completely rugged (Mercury may have misheard this bit) and will cost around £30,000 to replace. MKCC will only assist with funding for a heat pump solution but the poor insulation and general state of the building makes this unsuitable. Trevor said he recognised that Olney Town Council (OTC) have no responsibility for the building, but MKCC had been inert, lazy, unresponsive, impolite, and unprofessional in their dealings with the trustees. The trustees have some money available, but Trevor said he thought it unfair that they should have to pay for repairs when all around were saying it was not their responsibility. As this was an item on the meeting agenda Trevor asked that the council bear this in mind in their discussion.
Mayor Debbie Whitworth said the council had received a letter from a young person who lives in the High Street supporting the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit and warning signs. It would make Olney a safer place, she thought.
Apologies for absence and declarations of interest
Apologies were received from Ron Hall, Debbie Hall, Naomi Brock and Chris Tennant. Ian Stokes declared an interest in the item regarding the former football club building as Chairman of Olney Town Colts FC.
Ward Councillor’s report
Keith Mclean gave the ward councillors report. MKCC had prepared their draft budget for the next Financial Year and Council Tax is likely to rise by 4.99%, 2.00% of which is for social care. Bids are now being invited from parish councils for their own projects, he said. Mercury assumes that this for the parish precept, the amount collected with the MKCC Council Tax which is then returned to parishes. Keith said he was shocked to receive an email stating that Willen Road will be closed for over a year from next month between Marsh End and Tongwell Roundabouts. He then went on to say that it won’t actually be closed but extensive roadworks to widen but not dual the road will be taking place which will lead to long delays, particularly as most people are using it as the unofficial diversion route to get to Junction 14 while the A509 is closed. There had been no holistic view of how to manage traffic over the next few years, he thought, particularly as the ‘white elephant’ bridge had been built over the A509 and then pulled down. There had been mixed reactions to proposals to introduce a 20 mph speed limit in the town, particularly as there was no evidence that the accidents that do occur are due to speeding, but the consultation would continue. Keith said that it was important that OTC are represented at a forthcoming meeting with MKCC planners to provide input to the impending Milton Keynes Local Plan. Over the past 4–5 months there had been a call for landowners to put forward sites to be considered for development. Although there had been changes to the National Planning Policy Framework in December Keith said he had been assured that the changes would not ‘trump’ any Neighbourhood Plans produced by the parishes.
Colin Rodden asked when MKCC would be installing the posts for the Speed Indicating Devices (SIDs) that had cost OTC £10,000 and were currently sitting in boxes. Jane Brushwood interjected to say that it was in hand, leading Colin to ask when? Debbie Whitworth replied that OTC was going through the stages and Colin, clearly exasperated asked what was the problem? Jane Brushwood, equally exasperated said the problem was that OTC does not own the land that the poles will be installed on. Who does, asked Colin? MKCC replied Jane. Why don’t we put them on the lampposts like we used to asked Colin? Because we’re not allowed to and never were replied Jane. Debbie closed down the conversation saying she wanted to move on but Colin, eager to have the last word, said it would be useful to get a date.
Debbie informed Keith that the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) restricting parking in Osier Way would go ahead, but the similar order for Oakdown Crescent had been delayed due to complaints from some residents of Weston Road who use Oakdown Crescent to park. Mercury was not remotely surprised to hear this as this very issue was the subject of many heated discussions at OTC meetings some years ago when a residents only parking scheme was being sought by a relative of an elderly Oakdown Crescent resident. MKCC are suggesting that the provision of dedicated disabled parking spaces goes ahead without delay, she said. There was a problem with the proposal to introduce a 20 mph limit at Yardley Manor, said Debbie, because the roads were not yet adopted by MKCC. The solution was for residents to lobby the developers to request a ‘Section 38 agreement’ whereby the developers can ask MKCC for their own 20 mph orders. If that is agreed it can be ready and in place for when the adoption takes place,
she said.
PCSO’s report
Jane Brushwood said PCSO Arlene Ormstom had managed to get the monthly crime stats produced on her first day back after Christmas. One point of interest was the theft of a sheep from The Goosey. Other crimes included 2 x assault without injury, 1 x attempted burglary, 2 x criminal damage to cars, 2 x drink/drug driving, 1 x shoplifting from the Co-op, 1 x theft of handbag from shop, 1 x theft from vehicle.
Representatives at outside meetings
Debbie Whitworth said she and Jane Brushwood had attended the Amazing Grace 250 service at St Peter and St Paul which had been very well attended. The event had included the showing of the video ‘Amazing Grace: Legacies at 250’ detailing the highlights of the year, which can be viewed via the museum website. They had both also attended a meeting of the Social Prescribers, Debbie said. There will be a drop in coffee morning on the third Tuesday of each month to link residents of Olney and surrounding villages to local services and activities to improve health and wellbeing. Debbie said she had also attended a meeting with a group that are keen to set up a ‘new vision for a youth club and crisis drop-in centre’ for teenagers with mental health issues. Since emerging from Covid Debbie said she had heard from schools and parents that many young people are having problems with their mental health, so she had reached out to Mind BLMK who have agreed to run sessions at the Olney Centre with a qualified outreach worker funded by MKCC. Jane Brushwood reported that she had attended the Christmas lunch at the Olney Centre to assist organiser Naomi Brock which had been attended by around 30 people. Lunches had also been delivered to those who could not attend. Deirdre Bethune said that she had recently joined the Cobbs Garden Surgery Patient Participation Group and reported that a new GP would be joining the surgery in January and a new partner in March. As a result, the patient list had been reopened from the beginning of January.
Ex Football Club Building
Jane Brushwood said a questionnaire regarding the future of the building had been included in the recent Neighbourhood Plan survey and the results had been collated and it was clear that the majority of residents want it as a community building for all to use. She presented a draft plan detailing the various stages of the project. Colin Rodden noted that the plan seemed to assume that the existing building would be demolished and replaced, but Jane said that was still to be decided by ‘the experts,’ although it might turn out to be the cheapest option. Ian Stokes agreed that the feedback showed that there was a desire for mixed community use and suggested that some preliminary work could start now, such as high level concept design and grant application. He wondered why the project currently sat with the Development Control Committee rather than the Recs and Services Committee, since it would be necessary to consult with the Joint User Group and other experts. David Tyler wondered if the Recs and Services had the capacity to take it on. Jane said that now that committee was smaller and had a chairman it took less time to make decisions, so she believed that had sufficient capacity. Deirdre Bethune said historically such projects did not sit within Recs and Services because several past councillors had also been associated with the sports clubs, implying that there could be a conflict of interests. Ian Stokes proposed that the progression of the project moved to the Recs and Services which was agreed unanimously.
Review of Council policies
Some years ago the council produced policies for communications, complaints, and Co-option which are reviewed each year at the annual meeting. An additional policy had recently been produced for biodiversity. Jane Brushwood said that the size and number of the policies meant that it was too onerous for one person to review effectively so Jim Cooper and Dan Rowland had spent some time reviewing them and proposing the necessary changes. Colin Rodden was of the opinion that the Biodiversity policy was too general and did not go far enough in stating what OTC specifically was doing. Jane said that she had suggested engaging the services of an advisor to do just that, but the members had decided that the quote was too expensive and rejected the idea. Colin reminded members that there used to be a team of volunteers who worked on biodiversity projects, but the council had dispensed with them as they were not insured. Dan Rowland noted that the face to face communication section was very prescriptive in identifying negative body language (specifically, eye rolling, tutting, sighing, glaring, finger tapping, finger pointing, aggressive gesturing, and excessive sarcasm). Deirdre Bethune said it had been necessary because such behaviour had been evident from some members of the previous council. Additionally, it was agreed to change the references to ‘he/she’ to the now more commonly accepted single pronoun ‘they’.
East St Community Centre (Youth Club) Asset of Community Value
Background: Some years ago OTC applied to purchase the building and land from MKCC for the princely sum of £1 under the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Scheme. The site had been registered as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ (ACV) meaning that MKCC could not sell the site to anyone else without giving OTC the option to buy it first. Since the necessary building repairs at that time would have cost in excess of £150,000 MKCC were happy to oblige, and negotiations commenced. Before the process could complete OTC allocated the site for the new health hub in the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) and intended to gift the land to the surgery. A condition of CAT is the asset must remain in its original use, so MKCC withdrew from the process. The ACV registration ran from 2017 to 2022 and has now expired. MKCC have stated that reregistering the ACV might conflict with OTC’s desire for MKCC to sell (note sell!) the site to Cobbs Garden for the health hub, because it cannot be a designated development site and an active ACV site, since it would render the site undevelopable in something of a Catch 22 situation. In 2022 MKCC valued the site at a minimum of £250,000 but stated that it could be higher if there is an uplift in the market.
Jane Brushwood said that the current committee of volunteers running the building had asked if OTC could help with the required repairs to the building (as mentioned by Trevor Aldred in the public participation section) but she felt that OTC could not be seen to be spending time and money on a building which they didn’t own. However, she said she recognised that it was an important asset to the town and wanted to prevent MKCC from selling the site for any purpose other than the health hub. She said she didn’t think that MKCC had any plans or desire to sell it for any other reason than for the health hub but that could not be guaranteed. Jim Cooper said if a developer came along with a big offer, then MKCC would have to accept it. Colin Rodden wondered whether it would be possible for MKCC to transfer the building to OTC and retain ownership of the land, enabling OTC to assist with the necessary repairs? It was agreed that Jane would reopen negotiations for CAT with MKCC and look at the various possibilities, depending on the outcome of those negotiations.
Planning application for St Joseph’s Convent
As discussed previously, David Coles Associates architects have submitted plans to build 11 new homes on the site of the now disused convent under Application no: 23/02713/FUL. Debbie Whitworth explained that this would normally be dealt with by OTC’s Development Control Committee but they are not due to meet until 29th January and the deadline for comments to MKCC is the 27th, although under certain circumstances comments may be accepted after the cut-off date. It was agreed that Jane would speak to Chris Tennant, chair of the DCC and then respond on behalf of the council. She asked if anyone had particularly strong views on the matter and the general consensus was that no one was in favour of the development. Deirdre Bethune thought it a great pity that it couldn’t be used as the site for the new Health Hub. Debbie said that many residents had been in contact with her expressing their opposition to the development.
Parking restrictions at Johnsons Field
Debbie Whitworth explained that currently applications for double yellow lines have to be submitted to MKCC as highways authority via the Ward Councillors. MKCC are now placing the onus on parishes, meaning that parish councils will provide a sanity check to requests from residents and apply to MKCC direct if they support the request. She said an enquiry had been received from residents of Johnsons Field, which is currently on hold until MKCC publish details of the revised process. OTC will then request a formal application from the residents and discuss and progress accordingly. Colin Rodden noted that if MKCC is going to invest in the proposed development of the play areas on Johnsons Field and then prevent visitors from parking nearby they are going to look ‘a bit silly’ and Jane Brushwood agreed, saying that it might lead to parking elsewhere, possibly across residents’ driveways during the school run. Jim Cooper thought that perhaps the residents were requesting the double yellow lines now in anticipation of parking problems once the development had taken place. Deirdre Bethune suggested that it might be something for the council to consider once the development had taken place and if it became an issue.
Odds and Sods
Colin Rodden noted that the monthly expenses sheet included £2600 to a firm of tree specialists and asked why the council’s own grounds staff couldn’t do the work, since they presumably had chainsaw experience? The quote was for six or seven items of work which the ground staff are not qualified or equipped to carry out, replied Jane Brushwood.
The Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Monday 5th February at 7pm in the Olney Centre. If you would like to contribute to the Public Participation section at the start of the meeting, or any time the mayor deems appropriate, please contact the Town Clerk, townclerk@olneytowncouncil.gov.uk.