Page 32 - Phonebox Magazine September 2016

Olney Ward Councillors’ Corner
Cllr Peter Geary
Cllr David Hosking
Public Meeting in Lavendon
Cllr Keith McLean
have been in operation since then. The repair work will take between eight to ten weeks. Whilst there will be inconvenience for a few more weeks the bridge will be returned to full operation in a safe state.
Expansion proposals across Milton Keynes
Residents may have seen newspaper and media coverage recently which has reported details of proposals to significantly expand three areas in or adjoining the Borough of Milton Keynes. Each of these options is potentially being considered as part of MKC’s emerging Plan:MK, which will define how the Borough will develop to 2032 and which we have reported on extensively over the past few months. One of the areas which was reported as being under consideration for development is the land to the east of the M1, which would affect the village of Moulsoe. It has been suggested that this will include the building of 10,000 new homes and a new hospital. It is unclear when the next stage of Plan:MK will come forward and what it will contain. However, we will keep residents informed of developments and continue to represent the views of the rural communities impacted by any of the proposals.
Electoral Registration forms need returning
Last month MKC started delivering electoral registration forms to every property across the borough. We would like to request that residents respond either by telephone, text, post or online, even if there are no changes to the details printed on the form. Anyone who needs to be added to the electoral register, will also need to fill out an individual form which takes about five minutes to complete. This can be done on line by visiting: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Remember, you cannot vote unless you are on the electoral register.
Monthly surgeries on the first Friday of each month in Olney
If you have any issues that you would like to discuss with us in person, then please come along to one of our monthly advice surgeries. These sessions are run in the Olney Centre on the first Friday of each month between 7:30pm and 8:30pm – appointments are not necessary. Alternatively, we can be contacted at other times by ‘phone or email – our details are as follows:
Peter Geary - 01234 714260 - peter.geary@milton-keynes.gov.uk David Hosking - 01234 241010 - david.hosking@milton-keynes.gov.uk Keith McLean - 07983 456081 - keith.mclean@milton-keynes.gov.uk
In July we attended a Public Meeting in Lavendon, with about 150 residents, to discuss the outline planning application for 21 houses in the village on land adjacent to Castle Road and The Glebe. There was a lively debate and a range of varied questions were asked. Comments, both for and against the application, can still be submitted to Milton Keynes Council (MKC) either by letter, email or online using the reference number: 16/01630/OUT. The application is then likely to be considered and determined at MKC’s planning committee over the coming months.
The Bull Inn consultation events
In July’s Phonebox article, we mentioned plans to hold consultation events to allow residents to view Charles Wells’ proposals to restore the Bull Inn – these two events followed a successful meeting involving the Company’s senior management team, ourselves and members of Olney Town Council in June. Both sessions were well attended with the outline proposals well received and we now await Charles Wells’ final plans to come forward. In the meantime, we hope everyone is appreciating The Bull’s transformation into an ice house!
Holiday Bible Club 2016
During August, the Holiday Bible Club took place at the Sutcliff Baptist Church. This annual event, which is run by Olney’s four churches, was again well attended by more than 200 children aged between three and eighteen. We would like to thank the 100 plus helpers for their efforts in organising a full and varied week of activities for the town’s children and we look forward to next year’s event.
Faulty lights in your street?
During the summer months faults with street lighting can often go unnoticed. With the evenings starting to draw in, MKC will receive an increase in the number of reports of broken street lights. So, if you begin to see any problems over the coming weeks, we would like to ask that you report them directly to the council using the ‘Report-It’ system: www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/highways-and-transport-hub/report- it-highways-and-transport/street-lighting or call 01908 252353 (noting the pole number, which is visible on every lamppost, along with the location). In doing this, we hope that street lights in the rural areas can be reported early and prioritised for repair.
Hardmead Bridge on the A422
Work is soon to commence to repair a bridge over a small watercourse on the A422 between Chicheley and Astwood. MKC inspected the bridge in late May and discovered a problem; a structural repair was deemed necessary. As many people will know, temporary traffic lights
32 Phonebox Magazine | September 2016
Public Meeting taking place in Lavendon