Archived press release

Date Published: 04/09/07

Aylesbury Vale District Council has expressed its disappointment following news that the long-awaited inspectors’ report into the South East Plan is supporting proposals to expand Milton Keynes into the north of Aylesbury Vale. The independ...

Aylesbury Vale District Council has expressed its disappointment following news that the long-awaited inspectors’ report into the South East Plan is supporting proposals to expand Milton Keynes into the north of Aylesbury Vale.

The independent review of the plan – known as an Examination in Public (EiP) – recommends that 5,390 new homes be built around the Newton Longville area of Aylesbury Vale by 2026.

The panel of government-appointed inspectors rejected calls by AVDC and Buckinghamshire County Council to focus on development east of the M1 rather than around the villages (within the Vale) on the south-western fringes of Milton Keynes.

AVDC has been vehement in its opposition to proposals put forward by the Milton Keynes Partnership – the organisation charged with overseeing growth in the area – to build 7,500 new homes around Newton Longville by 2026, and a further 7,500 by 2031. The council’s objections were considered at an EiP hearing earlier this year.

Aylesbury Vale has been asked in the inspectors’ report to build an extra 5,700 new homes over and above the 21,200 houses already recommended for the district in the 20 year period covered by the draft South East Plan. This is an increase of 285 on the original 1,060 new homes each year.

Housing numbers at Aylesbury have not been increased but there will be an additional 300 homes built over a ten year period in other parts of the district (excluding the Milton Keynes growth area). The panel’s view that sustainable opportunities for growth exist at Buckingham and Winslow can be linked to this increase in housing numbers.

The proposal to make 40 per cent of all new housing affordable has been rejected in favour of the region-wide figure of 35 per cent. The council’s request to provide 1.25 jobs per home has also been turned down, although there is support for a one to one balance of jobs and homes.

The panel – whose recommendations will be considered by the Secretary of State – also stressed the importance of the proposed east-west rail link, including the Aylesbury section, to support expansion and for the route to start featuring in regional plans.

Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said the council was disappointed with the inspectors’ report. “We put up a very robust case against any Milton Keynes overspill at Newton Longville when we took part in the public examination and we are disappointed that the inspectors have chosen to reject our proposals for new development to go east of the M1,” she said. “We will continue to fight to maintain the integrity of our present boundary with Milton Keynes.”

Councillor Paternoster added: “Although the report is recommending a lower housing building rate than that contained in the Milton Keynes Partnership’s proposal, we have a very real fear that the government will impose an even higher target when it publishes its amendments in due course. It is essential that the supporting infrastructure, such as public transport, roads and affordable housing, is in place to support the new homes.”

The South East Plan was originally developed by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) to identify requirements for housing, jobs, transport and the environment. It will eventually become the statutory document that local authorities across the south east will have to follow.

The EiP hearings discussed all aspects of the plan – house-building, jobs and economy, transport, the environment, waste disposal and social issues.

The inspectors’ report has now been submitted to the government. AVDC will carefully consider the implications of the report, ready for the next opportunity to make its views known when the government publishes its proposed amendments after considering the panel’s recommendations. There will be a 12-week consultation period, expected later this year or early in 2008.