Page 26 - Phonebox Magazine May 2016

Mercury Report
Public participation
The Public area was packed for this meeting, with the vast majority wishing to speak about Oakdown Crescent. This took a while so it’s covered rst, followed by the issues raised by the few who spoke about anything else. Sue Warren, rst to speak, noted that there were continuing parking problems in the Crescent and that the potholes remained, still to be lled in. She asked Councillors to ‘carry on the ght’ after the local elections. Elizabeth White spoke next. She’s lived for 25 years in one of the ‘landlocked’ houses just behind Oakdown Crescent, her mother lived in the Crescent until her death last year, and her husband is registered disabled. Noting the ‘knock on’ effect on nearby parking if a Residents’ Parking Scheme was introduced in the Crescent, she questioned how those with disabled family were meant to get to the ‘landlocked’ houses. Nearby resident of 15 years Nick Taylor spoke next, explaining that he’d only rarely experienced parking problems and that, if there was really a problem to solve, part of the solution could be to improve the surface in Oakdown Crescent and mark out parking bays there. Noting that Sue Warren’s offer to help residents ll in forms (those for the forthcoming consultation Milton Keynes Council (MKC) had planned regarding the proposed Residents’ Parking Scheme) was ‘not entirely appropriate’, he said he generally had a good relationship with residents of the Crescent and that people needed not to get carried away or emotional. Ian Scott, a Weston Road resident, spoke next, wholeheartedly agreeing with Nick’s views, and noting that the proposed Residents’ Parking Scheme would simply move the parking problem elsewhere. Last on this topic, Julia Scott spoke brie y, saying that she was aware it was unfair for her and others to clog up parking spaces in Oakdown Crescent, but they had no choice.
Carl Clennet spoke about the proposal for a Skateboard Park. The rst preferred location, between the All Weather Surface and the Tennis Courts, had seen objections from the Tennis Club and The Olney Group (TOG). With the Recreation Ground seeming comfortably the best choice, the current preferred location is to site the Park in place of the zip wire, moving the wire elsewhere, hopefully not far away. He concluded by thanking the Recreation and Services Committee for its help, and noting that the Park would be a bene t to the community 26 Phonebox Magazine | May 2016
as a whole.
Andrew Leicester spoke last. He lives in Near Town Gardens, and a lorry associated with the electrical works being performed near the allotments had damaged his wall and nearby protection post. While noting that discussions with the company involved were amicable, he explained that this was at least the fth time where damage had occurred due to lorry traf c in the road, and asked if a sign could be erected to warn large vehicle drivers of the issue.
Oakdown Crescent
Now on to the main meeting, Brian Rice intervened before the Oakdown Crescent item began, handing a petition, presumably against the proposed Residents’ Parking Scheme, to Councillors. He went on to say that he had been upset by Sue Warren’s ‘hurtful defamatory remarks’ at the previous meeting, for example her saying that he was threatening her. He had contacted the Phonebox Magazine to express his views about the way the meeting had been reported, and stated that he’d never physically or verbally accost anyone in Olney. Elizabeth White also spoke, stressing that this issue was not personal.
For a minority of the Public present, this was an emotional and spirited part of the meeting. It was not easy to watch and required Steve Clark, for the second meeting in a row, to intervene strongly as Chair to silence them, restore order and allow calm, logical discussion.
Deidre Bethune, noting that this issue will (and surely by now has) ‘run and run’, asked if MKC could at least x the potholes in the Crescent as it had said it would, as they made it a ‘dangerous place to live’.
Peter Geary explained the story. In 1968, the houses in Oakdown Crescent and those ‘landlocked’ houses behind, were owned by Newport Pagnell Rural District Council. It sent a letter to its Weston Road tenants saying that, if they parked in the Crescent, they’d lose their tenancy. However, nowadays no Court would enforce such a rule so it’s become irrelevant. He thanked the members of the Public present for their proposed solutions to the problem. For the last few years, Olney Town Council (OTC) had accepted that there was a parking problem in the Crescent, but realised it could only be addressed in parallel with the provision of more parking in the area – perhaps on the site of the
existing garages, on land near 102 Weston Road or by allowing more on-street parking nearby. He stressed that the proposed Residents’ Parking Scheme would not happen on its own, MKC having ‘put a brake on it’, and that the Councils would work to understand the problem and try, together with affected residents, to solve it in a ‘holistic’ way.
This last sentence much reduced the tension in the room, as most of those in the Public area relaxed visibly, with various saying ‘thank you’. If only, Mercury re ected, the format of the meeting had allowed this point to be made at its start.
Skateboard Park
The Recreation and Services committee had, at its last meeting, unanimously agreed to recommend to full Council that ‘subject to a suitable new site for the zip wire being identified on the Recreation Ground and approved, the committee agreed to the current zip wire site as the best one for a Skateboard Park’. There ensued a brief discussion, with Peter Geary suggesting that OTC have a pre-planning talk with the Planning Of cer to discuss the most likely sites, thus uncovering any potential problems early on. Colin Rodden noted that the Cricket Club wasn’t keen on the zip wire site, preferring instead that between the All Weather Surface and Tennis Courts. John Boardman felt that, based on the Committee’s recommendation, those working towards the Skateboard Park should start raising funds towards seeing it realised, while Sally Pezaro was concerned about the ethics of raising money before the site was certain. Councillors voted unanimously to accept the Committee’s recommendation.
Plan:MK
The Council had been preparing its response to the Plan:MK Strategic Development Directions Consultation form, essentially 20 questions designed to gauge its views. The response was tweaked a little during this meeting, before Councillors agreed it was good to send.
Youth Centre Community Asset Transfer (CAT)
In the previous meeting, it was explained that an inspection of the building had found