'Our little local corner shop is more than enough for us,' say residents fighting plans to build giant supermarket on Milton Keynes estate

Residents on Galley Hill are protesting to council plans to build a large supermarket on their estate, saying their little corner shop is more than enough for them.

The Citizen revealed last month how householders were objecting to an ‘out of the blue’ plan to revamp their estate and sell off land for the discount supermarket, believed to be Aldi.

It would be housed on green space that was once a school playing field, but residents say they neither want it nor need it there.

They are quite happy with their existing Londis convenience store, which is run by Raj in the estate’s local centre.

“Raj and his staff not only supported our communities through the dark days of Covid by helping us have access to fresh food and amenities, but they continue to do so in our community, and that speaks volumes to how important they are to residents, not just Galley Hill but our surrounding areas,” said resident Anu Chunder.

"Raj is providing goody bags for all the children on our upcoming Wicksteed Park trip. Last year one of our community residents suffered a devastating home fire, and when approached, Raj provided all the food and refreshments for the little boy to have a memorable birthday, despite the family having lost everything the week before.”

Anu added: "Every week he allows our MacIntyre gardening group to take water from his shop, to water the beds and planters at the shop and the nearby streets. On the other days, his staff take turns to water the shop beds and planters.

“I could go on about the good work Raj has done and continues to do for our community. He is an asset to us, and we are all reluctant to put him, the staff and business, who have supported us, under pressure with an unnecessary supermarket.”

"I think it's important to note that Raj and his staff run the Post office within our local shop and that has not only been an asset to Galley Hill but our surrounding areas too. It has remained open seven days a week.”

Galley Hill is a close-knit community and residents fear the council’s improvement plan, which include a sweep of wider changes, could harm this.

The estate is steered by the Galley Hill Residents’ Association (GRHA) and they organise social events, trips and activities to bring the community together.

“We have a wonderful community who take pride in our estate,” said Anu.

"We litter pick every seond Sunday of the month... We’ve planted flowers in each street planter and these are looked after by a ‘street angel’ in each court. We work with the little ones in school for our Plot-to-plate project and we made the Spiritual Garden a reality.

“Since receiving the council proposal, we are of course concerned with what’s happening within our community and that decisions have been taken without any consultation with our residents.

"The proposals offer little for the residents nor do they listen to our needs.”