Page 42 - Phonebox Magazine November 2014

Olney Councillor Corner
Cllr David Hosking
Working together in the S Olney ward
station in Olney, Milton Keynes Council has now received a planning application from the supermarket chain (reference 14/02212/ FUL). It’s fair to say that Sainsbury’s plans have initiated a good deal of debate within the town, with strong views both for and against. Residents wishing to make a comment on this, or any other planning application, can do so at publicaccess2.milton-keynes.gov. uk/online-applications.
Road Resurfacing
We wanted to acknowledge the many comments that we have received recently about the poor state of some of the roads and footpaths across the ward. Maintaining highways in rural areas, such as ours, is not an easy task. However, as ward councillors we have become concerned in recent weeks about the priority being given to Olney and a number of the surrounding villages. We have therefore recently met with Mike Hainge, Milton Keynes Council’s new Service Director who has responsibility for highways, to show him many of these issues. Once we have Mr Hainge’s report and recommendations, we will share this with individual Parish Councils and in our next Phonebox article.
Westlands Care Home
Finally, we are disappointed to hear that Westlands Care Home in Olney will be closing in November. Westlands is privately run and the owner has stated that the home is no longer commercially viable. We have been in touch with council officers who are in close liaison with those affected to ensure that the residents’ care needs are met and that suitable alternative accommodation can be found.
Monthly Surgeries
If you have any issues that you would like to discuss with us in person, then please come along to one of our monthly surgeries. These are run in the Olney Centre on the first Friday of each month between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Alternatively, we can be contacted at other times by phone or email.
Our individual contact details are as follows:
David Hosking – 01234 241010
david.hosking@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Keith McLean – 07983 456081
keith.mclean@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Peter Geary – 01234 714260
peter.geary@milton-keynes.gov.uk
ince May’s local elections, the three of us have been working side by side to represent everyone who lives in the enlarged Olney
ward. Our new ward includes the town of Olney plus 17 surrounding villages with our work split into two main areas. Firstly, we are available to help out with any queries or concerns that you may have about the services provided by Milton Keynes Council. Secondly, our roles involve communicating the decisions made by the Council that affect the residents and businesses across the ward. If you’d like to contact us to raise any issues, you can do so either by using our individual details at the bottom of this article or by emailing us jointly at olneyward@ milton-keynes.gov.uk.
Minerals Extraction
We have previously reported that Milton Keynes Council is currently consulting on a new Minerals Plan. Since our last update, we have chaired three public meetings in Lathbury, Lavendon and Sherington to allow residents to discuss the proposals
with planning officers from the Council. Residents of these three villages are likely to be affected most by the plans and we encourage anyone who is yet to comment,to do so before the consultation closes on Wednesday 5th November. Details of the plans and the consultation process can be found at miltonkeynes-consult.objective. co.uk.
Plan:MK
Continuing the planning theme, Milton Keynes Council is in the early stages of developing a new local plan for the Borough. Plan:MK, as it is known, will set out the development strategy across Milton Keynes for the period up to 2031. The Council has published a number of Topic Papers which focus on individual sections of the plan. Further information, including details of the consultation which ends on Wednesday 3rd December, is also available at miltonkeynes- consult.objective.co.uk/portal.
Sainsbury’s Update
Following Sainsbury’s consultation over the summer, when residents were asked for their views on plans for a food store and petrol
Cllr Keith McLean
Cllr Peter Geary
The Lavendon Public Meeting was held on 22nd September.
42 Phonebox Magazine