Page 32 - Phonebox Magazine February 2014

Mercury Report
for the Council Meeting of Monday 6th January 2014
Public participation
Local resident Mrs Holsten was the only member of the public to speak in this slot. Mrs Holsten said that she had lived in Olney for all of her 80 years and said that in years gone by there had been a public footpath to the left of ‘The Goosey’ where she had played as a child, but in recent years the sign had been taken down. Mayor Steve Clark said the current map does not show the existence of an official path. Milton Keynes Council (MKC) Ward Councillor Peter Geary said that if it was not on the current map then in is not an official path. He said he would look at the 1929 map to see if was shown on there and if it can be proved that the public have had unrestricted access for at least 20 years it can be reinstated.
Erection of 33 properties off Warrington Road
The council had been asked to consider what Section 106 contributions should be requested in case this application should be approved. Planning obligations under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, commonly known as Section 106 agreements, are often referred to as ‘developer contributions’ and are a mechanism which make a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, that would not otherwise be acceptable. The contribution for this site is expected to be £467k. Olney Town Council has already formally objected to this development which is along the path of the old railway line, behind the Stilebrook Road industrial estate. Some years ago this land was designated for B1 (office) development and permission granted for the erection of 23 units. However, only six of these units have ever been built and the developer now wishes to convert it to C3 (residential) use. The council have objected on the basis that the site:
It was also noted that the site will back on to the unattended sewage works and when the sludge is collected the stench can last for several days. This will inevitably lead to complaints from the residents, thought councillors. Jeremy Rawlings will attend the next MKC Planning meeting to reiterate OTC’s objection to the plans and recommend a site visit so that officers can see how isolated it is.
Returning to the matter of the matter of the S106 contribution, Ron Bull noted that the site would be dangerous to access for pedestrians, particularly students attending the Ousedale Campus and wondered if the contribution should be used for safer access. Peter Geary said that this would be the responsibility of the developer under Section 278. It was important that the S106 contribution does not go into the MK pot but should benefit Olney, he said. He proposed that the recommendation should be for £138k to go towards education, £6k towards allotments and burials and the rest be ring- fenced for social infrastructure. A vote was taken and Steve Clark declared it unanimous, but from where Mercury was sitting some members appeared not to vote for, against or abstain. Perhaps they couldn’t make up their minds?
Access to land at rear of 61 Moores Hill
Councillors Peter Geary, Debbie Brock and Ben Brock left the meeting at this point. The issue of development in the large rear gardens of the houses in Moore’s Hill has been a subject of considerable debate, controversy and accusations in recent years and Mercury does not intend to go over old ground here. In March 2012 OTC were made aware of MKC’s intention to grant an easement of access over a strip of land in Dinglederry at the rear of 59 Moores Hill to facilitate development on land at the rear of number 61. OTC expressed their concerns at the time so the matter did not proceed, although it ‘remained on the table’. The applicant now wishes to proceed and OTC will once again object. Tony Evans observed that this will probably be followed by another, and then another until access is eventually available for the single house and garden which remains in the ownership of MKC.
Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG)
A resident has asked, via the Olney Noticeboard Facebook page, if the minutes of NAG meetings could be made public. Mercury understands that this is in connection with the recent spate of burglaries just before Christmas, although the NAG website states that their three top priorities are 1. Traffic, 2. Parking and 3. Dog Fouling. Steve Clark said that under Thames Valley Police rules
put in place when the NAGs were created, all minutes must be published.
Cattle Market car park
Although the Market Place car park is owned and controlled by OTC, the old Cattle Market car park, beyond Punch Opticians, remains in the ownership of MKC. OTC has discussed applying for ownership under the Community Asset Transfer scheme in the past but it has not been progressed. Peter Geary reminded members that if they want to proceed with this they need to start things moving soon, as the window of opportunity may not be open forever. It was agreed that this should be an agenda item next month.
Traffic management training
As reported last month, the Police are generally no longer providing assistance with closing roads for local events and two-three hour training courses were run in December, which qualified those who completed them to be able to close roads with speed limits of 30mph and below. Jeremy Rawlings reported that he had attended one and declared it ‘a complete waste of time’.
Rugby posts at Johnsons Field
Clerk Liam Costello reported that the posts had that day been erected on Johnsons Field as part of the Rugby Football Union’s Posts in the Park initiative. The information on the OTC website states:
‘Across England the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2015 has begun with the Rugby Football Union’s Posts in the Park initiative. Under this programme up to 100 posts will be installed in the 10 English RWC 2015 host cities. Aimed at broadening the appeal of the Game and reaching out to new audiences, Posts in the Park launched nationwide on the 18 September 2013, and has already inspired youngsters from all walks of life to get down to their local park and try their hand at rugby. Over the coming months Milton Keynes Sports Development team will be running activities aimed at getting more people interested in the sport.’
Events Diary
In responses to a number of requests from residents, OTC has created a diary of local events on its webpage. Organisers of any events are asked to contact the council office on (01234) 711679 or email TownClerk@ OlneyTownCouncil.gov.uk to get them published. The diary can be viewed at www. olneytowncouncil.gov.uk on the Events tab.
The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd February in the Council Chamber in the Olney Centre. Members of the public are always welcome to attend and, if they wish, speak at the start of the meeting, or at any point that the mayor decides is appropriate.
•
• Is incompatible with the existing land use
Is a departure from the adopted plan and is outside the town development boundary
• Is disconnected from the rest of the residential development in the town
• Will be accessed via the existing office development
• Has poor access onto Warrington Road towards the
town centre
• Was a speculative development by the developer and just because it has turned out not to be financially viable for commercial use this is not justification for a fragmented housing development
•
May be required for future employment building for Olney to develop as a sustainable town
32 Phonebox Magazine