Ten years ago, 89,801 people voted in favour of the Central Milton Keynes Business Neighbourhood Plan. Only 17,133 voted against. The plan was unique because electors in every MK postcode were allowed to vote because of the significance of the central area, as were – also uniquely – all businesses. Of these, 356 voted in favour with 47 against.
The government had instigated, heavily promoted and financially supported Neighbourhood Plans under The Localism Act 2011. CMK’s was given £20,000 and the referendum was a public cost too.
The CMK plan was one of eight government ‘frontrunners’. It was the first to go to referendum and was hailed a success. The government, it seemed, was fully committed to Neighbourhood Plans.
It has now been proved that Neighbourhood Plans were nothing but a sleight of hand. The thinking, clearly, was to pretend that government both national and local cared about local people’s protests to adverse planning decisions and wanted to show voters that they had a way to hear those voices.
Since 2011, thousands of groups of people across the country and – more particularly for this column – in Milton Keynes have invested considerable time and money in preparing Neighbourhood Plans. I was asked to take part in one several years ago but declined because, as you might imagine, I thought it was simply a cynical exercise in perception management.
Sadly, I have been proved right.
Local councils, including Milton Keynes City Council, have in the intervening years ridden roughshod over Neighbourhood Plans. Now, finally, central government has found a way to render them
totally meaningless.
Bow Brickhill spent months developing a meaningful Neighbourhood Plan, aiming for sustainable growth of over 25%.
“We secured a grant of about £12,000,” Alan Preen, one of the plan’s fathers, told me. “I attended a residential course in Oxford, and a group of committed residents dedicated months to debating issues, consulting with others, and preparing the plan for adoption.
“This process cost thousands of pounds and countless hours of effort. Now multiply that effort across the country and ask yourself why there is no funding for proper infrastructure.
“Toward the end of the process, architect David Lock called me as chair and told me what would happen to Bow Brickhill. Essentially, our Neighbourhood Plan would be ignored in favour of building several thousand houses and an out-of-village commercial centre.
“Local involvement? Completely disregarded. His message was clear: ‘Don’t waste your time.’”
Alan took the issue to full council. “I dramatically ripped up the plan in front of the councillors and threw it across the floor. That moment exposed the scandal of Milton Keynes’ developers allegedly engaging in “land banking” rather than building much-needed new homes.
“The chair suspended the sitting, effectively ending Bow Brickhill’s democratic voice in Neighbourhood Planning.”
Since then, Bow Brickhill has seen Blind Pond Farm built out with 30 new homes (around six being affordable) that the village supported, followed by a dozen houses opposite, another dozen near Greenways, and over 40 homes currently under construction by Croudace. The population of the village is nearly doubling, with the same infrastructure trying to support it all – except for its Community Hall which the community raised the money for and took the initiative to build.
There are plans for another 2,500 houses between Bow Brickhill and Woburn Sands. It is distinctly possible that Bow Brickhill station will closed in favour of Woburn Sands station, which is being relocated (another scandal), despite Bow Brickhill being the most popular thanks largely to Red Bull staff and children commuting to Bedford.
The fiasco with the railway bridge on V10 Brickhill Street (written about here in previous columns) continues, an example of incredibly poor planning, lack of money, the left hand not knowing what the right is doing and developers trying every which way to fudge a solution and get on and make profit.
“What we are left with is an unsustainable mess: sewers flowing into homes, subsiding land due to neglected ditches and no one taking responsibility,” says Alan. “Meanwhile, it is nearly impossible to get an appointment at the doctor, the roads are riddled with potholes and enormous logistics warehouses remain vacant after two years.
“Heavy rains turn the logistics estate into a wading bird sanctuary due to poor water management and, yes, sewage backs up too. But don’t worry—someone has told someone else and apparently, it’s “not a problem.”
As a world-class cynic this is exactly what I expected would happen but it is still shocking quite how blatant it all is. This is happening not just here but across the country and now, following the current government’s 2025 spending review, ministers have withdrawn all support for Neighbourhood Planning for 2025 onwards.
This includes all new applications. This also includes both the support they provide to community groups (including town and parish councils) preparing or reviewing neighbourhood plans and local authorities to cover referendum and examination costs and so on.
So, it seems that we will not see more easily-deluded voters thinking that their voice in local planning matters carries any weight. In the meantime, I understand that the Society of Local Council Clerks and the National Association of Local Councils are working on updates and further information regarding the future of neighbourhood planning support.
We have all been tricked since 2011. Now the curtain has finally been pulled back by Dorothy (oops, I mean Chancellor Rachel Reeves) and we can see the man pretending to be The Wizard of Oz.
Does he look like a building developer / land banker to you too?
Cheerio.