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18 September 2006
MILTON KEYNES EXPANSION INTO AYLESBURY VALE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE, SAYS CPRE
Plans to expand Milton Keynes into the Newton Longville area of
Aylesbury Vale will fail because of inadequate transport
infrastructure, says the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
In commenting on the Milton Keynes Growth Strategy, CPRE’s Vale
of Aylesbury group criticise the absence of any viable plans to improve
public transport to support the planned addition of 14,000 houses in
the Newton Longville area. The strategy relies heavily on the
proposed east-west rail link being built, but the probability of it
being completed before the housing is very low.
Other than the rail link, the strategy assumes buses, cycling and
walking will lead to reduced car journeys. CPRE argue that buses
will only be provided if the operators see a commercial market,
something over which the planners have little control. And the
relative remoteness of Newton Longville from Central Milton Keynes and
even Bletchley town centre makes walking an unattractive option.
CPRE point out that the original Milton Keynes was designed for the
car, but the next stage of its growth needs to be based on the policies
for sustainable development set out clearly in Government and regional
guidance. They say that MK’s planners could learn from
other European cities which have invested seriously in radical public
transport improvements.
Chairman of CPRE Vale of Aylesbury, Alan Myers, said:
“We are not against the expansion of Milton Keynes.
Protecting rural areas against the wrong sort of development depends on
urban areas successfully adapting for future needs in line with
sustainable development policies.
“We want Milton Keynes to be a success. Yet the absence in the
Growth Strategy of imaginative plans for an attractive and viable
public transport system gives us little confidence that the expanded
city will add up to more than a car-dependent urban sprawl.”
Notes to Editors:
1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a
national charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity
of rural England by advocating positive solutions for the long-term
future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, CPRE has 60,000 supporters
nationally and a branch in every county.
2. CPRE Vale of Aylesbury is one of 4 district groups
within CPRE Buckinghamshire. The district groups handle issues
specific to the District Councils and Milton Keynes Council. Much
of their work is in responding to consultation papers and major
planning proposals, but they also take initiatives to promote awareness
and understanding of public policies and plans that impact - positively
or negatively - on CPRE's objectives.
3. The Milton Keynes Growth Strategy is currently out
for public consultation. The Strategy forms part of the draft
South East Plan, on which an Examination-in-Public will shortly
open. Milton Keynes Council and Buckinghamshire County Council
are responsible for providing information and advice about development
in the Milton Keynes-Aylesbury Vale area for the South East Plan. They
need to tell Government how new housing growth should be accommodated
in and around Milton Keynes City by the autumn of this year.
CPRE’s submission is intended to assist the County Council
develop its evidence and arguments.
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