Battle of Bottledump Roundabout set to take place at meeting in Milton Keynes

The development at Salden Chase would add 1,800 new homes to the south west of the city and it has been bitterly contested since being first proposed in 2015.

However, Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) has confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the Salden Chase application, which would underpin the need for the the road work, has NOT yet been approved.

A spokesman said AVDC councillors have deferred the application and delegated to AVDC officers “for approval subject to the completion of a legal agreement”.

The spokesman adds: “If this cannot be achieved then the application will be refused for reasons as considered appropriate by officers.”

As of Friday, a legal section 106 agreement “remains under review – though we are hopeful it would move forward quite quickly.”

The latest proposal put to MK Council for road works has been contested by parish councils in Milton Keynes, as well as 75 local residents.Former Tory councillor and Salden Chase opponent Edith Bald said: “The big concerns are traffic congestion on Buckingham Road from around 2,000 extra cars, and the burden on MK tax payers who will end up funding or being pushed back in the queue for health, education and other community services.”

The role of Thursday’s Development Control Committee in Milton Keynes will be to consider the changes to the road network and a new junction off the A421, planners say.

The South West Milton Keynes Consortium of five development companies also want to build shops, a community centre, schools and introduce new green space at the 144 hectare site south of Standing Way between the Tattenhoe and Bottledump roundabouts.

Although the development site is in Aylesbury Vale, the road network is under the control of Milton Keynes. It has meant that a planning application for changes to the Bottledump Roundabouts has been lodged with MK Council.

In their report to councillors for Thursday’s meeting, council planning officers say: “Without the highway upgrades proposed in this application, there would be capacity issues within the existing highway infrastructure.

“To reiterate, that development scheme has a resolution to grant planning permission from Aylesbury Vale District Council, subject to a s106 agreement which is near completion.”

The AVDC spokesman, however, confirmed that a resolution is not that close.

MK Council planners, in their recommendation to approve the roadworks add that any harm to the local area from the road changes can be “adequately mitigated or would only be short to medium term in impact.”

MK Council officers say they will “help to ensure that there would be no undue impact on the highway network in Milton Keynes in terms of capacity and safety as a result of the neighbouring authority planning application once planning permission is issued by Aylesbury Vale District Council following completion of the associated s106 agreement.

“If planning permission is not forthcoming from Aylesbury Vale District Council then the highway works would not be implemented.

“The Highway Engineer is satisfied that the works are acceptable and there would be no adverse impact on capacity or safety subject to conditions for further details of highway works.”

Thursday’s (Nov 7) meeting of MK Council’s Development Control Committee is open to the public. The meeting is due to start at 7pm at the civic office of Milton Keynes Council, in Saxon Gate East.