Food Centre plans approved in Milton Keynes despite concern over “lack of affordable housing”

Despite some members of the development control committee being concerned about a lack of “affordable” homes in the proposals for 904 new homes at the site, they passed the plans anyway.

“I’m going to break the unbroken chain of praise for this,” said Cllr Martin Petchey (Lab, Stantonbury), at Thursday’s meeting. “It fails miserably on affordable housing.”

Cllr Petchey said developers regularly try to break the rule of having 31 per cent of housing schemes being in the “affordable” category. This scheme was much lower, at 10 per cent.

And for Cllr Petchey it was too much for him to concede. “I will vote against it,” he said.

But other councillors were more comfortable about conceding on the issue. The owners, Hermes CMK, have agreed to give the council £5.1 million to pay for affordable housing elsewhere in the borough, as well as another £2.9million in other so called section 106 contributions.

There was general praise for the way the planning application had involved the public and the council.

Cllr Linda Inoki, of Central Milton Keynes Town Council, spoke in favour of the creation of a new community in the city centre through its design as “attractive urban living.”

“It is refreshing to find an applicant who shares our aspirations,” she said.

Former council leader, Cllr Andrew Geary (Cons, Newport North & Hanslope) said the issue of the future of the Food Centre had been around for years. He wanted to “just get on with it.”

And other members of the committee were so eager to see the buildings replaced, they agreed to reduce the time the developers have to start their work. They reduced a five year time limit to three years.

Cllr Keith McLean (Cons, Olney) was given assurances that aluminium cladding proposed for blocks of homes on the site would meet the standards required following the Grenfell disaster.

And Cllr Ric Brackenbury (Lib Dem, Campbell Park & Old Woughton) said: “We’ve not had a single objection, the site is well passed its sell by date.”

Cllr Petchey was the only councillor who voted against the scheme as committee members overwhelmingly backed the plans. The demolition of the Food Centre has already been approved by the council.

After the meeting the site’s joint owners, E3 West, welcomed the vote.

Roz Bird, project lead, “We are so pleased to have been given the seal of approval for our scheme which is a key location in Central Milton Keynes, the heart of one of the UK’s fastest growing cities.

“We are confident that this development will add value in the way that local residents, shoppers, stakeholders and existing city centre businesses hope.”