Seven year battle to build large housing development next to Milton Keynes nature reserve goes to further appeal

A developer has lodged a second appeal in a bid to build hundreds of houses next to MK’s most biodiverse nature reserve.

The battle to develop land at Linford Lakes has been running for seven years and there have already been two refused planning applications as well as a planning appeal, which was lost.

Now Templeview Developments Limited is lodging another costly appeal, to take the form of a public inquiry.

They are striving to build 196 homes, 277 extra care apartments, 41 retirement bungalows and a care home with up to 70 bedrooms on the land, which is next to the Linford Lakes Nature Reserve at Great Linford.

The reserve was established as a wildfowl research centre in 1970 and is used as a base for environmental education. It is widely regarded as the most biodiverse site in Milton Keynes.

Templeview’s proposed site stretches from the nature reserve and around the back of Redhouse Park and north of Wolverton Road up to the boundary of Oakridge Park. It encompasses the nine Linford fishing lakes – but the plan would involve the lake area being handed to The Parks Trust as linear parkland.

It would involve a new access road to the Linford Lakes Study Centre, the stopping up of the public road in Stanton Low and demolition of the Marle Inn.

The first planning application came in August 2016 and requested outline permission to build up to 250 units of housing. This was refused by Milton Keynes Council, after which the developer went to appeal in March 2018 – and lost.

Another application was submitted in August 2021, but this time with more than double the number of housing units. This was refused by the council in November last year.

Officers said the development failed to comply with Plan:MK and the residential part would intrude into the open countryside, and into a “valued landscape of high quality.”

This, they said, would lead to “permanent and unmitigated harm” to the open character of the countryside.

The applicant had also failed to demonstrate that the proposed drainage strategy would not lead to an adverse flood risk to future occupants of the development, stated documents.

Templeview had six months to lodge an appeal, which they have now done.