“Exhaustion” sets in as report into giant Milton Keynes warehouse fails to materialise AGAIN

Independent reviewer Marc Dorfman had been hoping to present his findings into the Blakelands warehouse being allowed to double in height to 18 metres before the end of October, but Halloween came and went without the report materialising.

Mr Dorfman has told the council that he has been unwell but that the report is on its way.

Council leader Pete Marland (Lab, Wolverton) said that he has been told that the report is “moving toward completion” and is set to appear “this week or early next week”.

The Blakelands Residents Association has written to the chairman of the council’s audit committee, which commissioned the report with a £20,000 price tag, to say that the 14th delay to the report’s publication in one year is “unacceptable”.

“Our position, which is supported by over 420 residents, is that Mr Dorfman’s review has clearly failed,” they said.

“We are repeating our calls for the council to now scrap the review and bring in external auditors to uncover the truth.”

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Alex Walker (Stantonbury), said: “Yet another deadline has been and gone.

“I think we are all exhausted with this process.

“It is beyond unacceptable that Blakelands residents are faced with another delay in a report that was expected to be completed over a year ago and I sympathise with those residents who have lost complete confidence and faith in the report, even prior to its release.”

He added: “The reputation of MK Council’s planning service needs to recover and this report has been held up as the answer to the woes.

“But the failure to release this important report on time and without controversy, will further erode the remaining faith in MK’s planning system.”

A spokesman for the council said that Mr Dorfman has informed the council that he has been unwell.

He added: “He hopes to have the report completed as soon as possible this month.”