Milton Keynes MP: 'Unplanned housing developments are killing our villages

Milton Keynes North MP Mark Lancaster has warned that unplanned housing developments in MK's rural villages are killing their character and crippling the infrastructure.
Hanslope Street surgery with Mark LancasterHanslope Street surgery with Mark Lancaster
Hanslope Street surgery with Mark Lancaster

The comments come following his annual mobile surgery where he visited all of the rural villages in his constituency.

The main issue raised by residents and parish councils over the three day tour was the damage being done by unplanned and often speculative development applications being granted. For example the village of Hanslope has received a wave of new developments and when completed will see an increase in its population of at least 35%.

So-called 'accelerated growth' is also causing concern. The village Moulsoe on the east of the M1 is at risk of seeing 5-8,000 homes if Milton Keynes Council are successful in a bid to Government for funding a new bridge over the M1.

Mark said: "I have held my annual mobile surgery every year for the last 13 years and I've never had such a feeling of frustration from residents of our rural villages. They feel under attack by developers and let down by Milton Keynes Council.

"It would be desperately sad if we allowed the character of our rural villages to be eroded by unplanned developments. These communities are not anti-growth but they want to be able to have some control over what housing they take.

"They want affordable housing for their children and they want funding for schools, doctors surgeries and roads. Unplanned housing development risks all of that.

"The big failure has been getting developers to build the planning permissions they alreay have. Meaning the Council has failed to meet its five year land supply opening the gates to developers.

"I will be meeting with ministers to discuss an exemption of the five year land supply and I know local Conservative Councillors have called for an independent review of the Council’s housing numbers. I would also call on all communities who don’t have a neighbourhood plan to get one as soon as possible, they are a helpful layer of protection.”