This Application 02/00899/MIN may be viewed at Milton Keynes Borough or West Bletchley Parish Council offices. Comments on the Application may be sent to The Chief Planning Officer, Environment Box 125, Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes MK9 3ZJ. Although a deadline was given for comments this has now been extended.
Potential objections are:-
1 That the application is contrary
to statements in the current Local Plan 'that sites of special architectural
or historic interest need to be cherished'.
2 That the density of new housing development
should be related to the character, appearance and density of development
in the surrounding area.
3 That excessive local traffic will
be generated.
4 A large number of dwellings in a
small area is likely to overload existing drainage.
5 The four storey apartment block is
out of scale with the surrounding area.
6 The provision of children's playgrounds
does not meet the council's standard.
7 The GP surgery does not meet current
space requirements for such units.
8 The devlopment impinges on the conservation
area at the nort-east corner and in the vicinity of the proposed surgery.
9 The development does not meet council's
standards for 30% low cost housing on new developments.
10 The impact of the development can only be considered
collectively with other developments in the vicinity of Bletchley Park.
A Framework Document for the Bletchley Park area has been produced by Milton Keynes Council. This was last considered by an un-advertised meeting of the Local Plan Committee on Thursday 15 th. November 2002. Bletchley Park Residents Association are objecting to the way this document is being added to the Local Plan by-passing the full consultation process. For additional information Click Here.
According to the document, the greater part of the area would be the museum site with the listed landscape area around the lake at its core. There would be two employment areas. One opposite the station consisting of that currently occupied by student accomodation for Bletchley Park and part of that occupied by the Milton Keynes College Buildings. The other area would be a strip to the north of the museum site on which there are a few of the later Bletchley park huts but mainly open park. The college is being rebuilt on the former cricket pitch fronting the derelict former cricket pavilion (later a music centre) which is reserved for community use. There will be two housing areas. One of these will be south of Bletchley Park and east of Wilton Avenue and will combine land owned by Milton Keynes Council and the remainder of the land vacated by Milton Keynes College. To the north and north-west of Bletchley Park and east of Whalley Drive are two blocks of almost vacant land previously part of Bletchley Park. The density of housing in these areas including playgrounds and roads will be 50 houses per hectare(about 20 houses per acre) with the exception of those fronting Whalley Drive at 35 houses per hectare. MKC housing strategy document indicated that of the 300 houses, 90 would be affordable of which 40 would be 'extra care' and 10 rented to young people. A Teenage Pregnancy unit was envisaged.
These densities are based on stipulations in a new version of the local plan which have not yet completed the consultation process. It is understood that these densities may be reduced slightly in the final version. It is not known if the investigation of the site of a Roman Villa on adjacent land will affect this further. The main road approaches will be from Sherwood Drive but it seems that there will also be road links to Church Green Road and Wilton Avenue specifically. There will be pedestrian/cyclepaths which will follow existing roads and appear to involve a separate pedestrian link across the railway to the town centre.
Bletchley Park Residents Association and various residents have objected to the housing density, the road exits on to Church Green Road and Whalley Drive and the lack of consideration of the provision of local services.
Various Plans were previously submitted for the development of Bletchley Park. Two of these have been rejected on the present basis or at least held over pending consideration of the area as a whole. Application Number 01397 was an OUTLINE plan. showing proposed areas for housing and business developments (on land sold by the Park owners). The consortium of which the Museum Trust is a part has proposals for housing which are interim but cause some misgivings. Particular concern was expressed at the high density of houses fronting Whalley Drive.
Application 01398 is a final plan, submitted by the Trust to build an Innovation Centre and Visitors Centre with car parking and landscaping. This is intended to be part of the South-East England Development Agency's wired region programme. Application 01399 is for permission to partially demolish and redevelop Block C for the above centres. We are told that Block C is not a listed heritage building. The above applications for the Museum Trust are still under consideration by Milton Keynes Council's Development Control Committee. The Trust is again bidding for funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
In the Local Plan there is an appendix (KS) on the Bletchley Park Area, pages 214 218 as well as information about the Park on pages 86, 87.
Definite applications have now been put forward and effectively rejected by Milton Keynes Council's Development Control Committee,
1/ for 7 houses in a small close on the north-west side of Wilton Avenue between Wilton Hall and Bletchley Park.
2/ for 18 houses and a small close of 4 houses on the south-east side of Whalley Drive on the opposite side to the community hospital.
Both proposals involve higher housing densities than existing residences in the same road. There is no provision for 'Green Corridors'. Both were held over pending wider consideration of various developments proposed for the area as a whole.