PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS – The National Association of Local Councils has advised that all councils should not be meeting publicly for the time being. Emberton Parish Council meetings are conducted via zoom; the next meeting will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 6th October. Should you wish to attend this meeting please email the clerk. 

 

BRIDLE WAY CLAIM AT PETSOE END – In the Spring, Milton Keynes Council received notification from the Planning Inspectorate, advising that the Secretary of State was unable to confirm the Orders for the bridle way at Petsoe End as the maps attached to each order had the incorrect notations on them. The Orders were withdrawn and new Orders made in the correct format. However, restrictions during the Covid lockdown meant that the Order making process was temporarily suspended as these were not able to be published in the local newspaper or library. The Rights of Way Officer at MKC has now put together a report for senior managers explaining how the process can be adapted to advertise the Orders to the public whilst meeting the legal advertising requirements. 

 

RESIDENT’S PARKING – HULTON DRIVE AND OLNEY ROAD (SERVICE ROAD) – two petitions were submitted to MKC; one for Hulton Drive and the other for the service road of Olney Road for the introduction of a resident’s parking scheme. 

 

UPDATE FROM EMBERTON PARK LIAISION USER’S GROUP MEETING - The current 

ban on bbqs had cut down on the hassle for staff and park users with very little litter being 

left behind by visitors. The restriction on traffic flow in the park was to be discussed making the park bio diverse friendly. A Development and Operations group for Emberton Park had been assigned to look at the management of the park to which the Ward Councillors were invited; this group was assigned with getting a management plan in place. Car parking charges were being looked at again. Some new bins were going into the park toaesthetically improve the appearance of the park which should be in by the end of 

September. 

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN - You might be wondering what is happening about the neighbourhood plan. The parish council was obliged to stop the formal consultation earlier this year, due to Covid 19 restrictions. Since then, the newly re-formed neighbourhood plan steering committee has been working on behalf of the parish council to review all feedback received from the parish, with a view to re-starting the formal consultation, in a form which reflects the views of the majority, as soon as Milton Keynes Council gives the green light. 

 

The steering committee is aware that the government’s white paper on planning reforms seeks to allocate all land into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protection. If the suggested reforms become law, these categories are likely to be imposed at local plan level, by Milton Keynes Council, after public consultation. In this case, our neighbourhood plan could well shift its focus: instead of designating land uses in particular locations (which would most likely be decided by Milton Keynes Council at local plan level instead), the neighbourhood plan would potentially concentrate more on matters of detail such as local design standards. While the white paper is out for consultation, with much of its detail still to be worked out, we can only speculate on its impact. 

 

At present though, under the current planning system, getting a neighbourhood plan in place remains our best bet for shaping our community’s future. 

 

CONTACTING THE CLERK – The clerk is currently working remotely and can only be contactable via email. Should you not have access to email, please contact the Chair of the parish council, Victoria McLean on 01234 240342.