Residents of rural Buckinghamshire have revealed their fury after a staggering 63,000 homes were proposed to be built in and around Milton Keynes.
Residents of the picturesque villages of Castlethorpe, Hanslope and Haversham are set to see a new ‘town’ built in their midst.
Set in rolling countryside with idyllic churches and canals, the rural communities have a combined population of less than 5,000 people.
But the new plan says 12,000 homes should be built in the area, with another 1,000 near plush Chicheley Hill, near Newport Pagnell and 3,700 in other existing villages.
Locals – who complain that their local services are already too stretched – say that the proposals just won’t work, and will destroy the countryside they know and love.
Oliver Sawbridge, 48, is the 5th generation of blacksmiths in Castlethorpe. He said: ‘I don’t want it to happen. My childhood was spent walking the fields around here. It is beautiful and I wouldn’t want to see it go.
Residents of the picturesque villages of Castlethorpe, Hanslope and Haversham are set to see a new ‘town’ built in their midst. Pictured: Hanslope village
Oliver Sawbridge, 48, is the 5th generation of blacksmiths in Castlethorpe and was opposed to the new plans
Mr Sawbridge spent his childhood walking the surrounding countryside, and believes it is at risk if the developments go ahead
Set in rolling countryside with idyllic churches and canals, the rural communities have a combined population of less than 5,000 people
But the new plan says 12,000 homes should be built in the area, with another 1,000 near plush Chicheley Hill, near Newport Pagnell and 3,700 in other existing villages
‘I might get more work, but I would not want to lose the countryside.’
Haversham resident James Collingham, 86, who ran a consulting business, added: ‘Between half past seven to nine o’clock there is already so much traffic.
‘Somebody has got to build something somewhere, but it is the quantity.
‘There are going to build 28 houses over the road . We don’t mind infilling like that – half a dozen house here and half a dozen houses there and cheap social housing – but there can’t be a new town with no infrastructure.
‘If it goes ahead there will be even more traffic. It will be too big.’
This was echoed by his wife Jill, 82, a retired civil servant, who said they have lived in the village since 1975.
She said: ‘It is not the right area. The river overflows, the road is so busy. We have counted 140 cars in 20 minutes.’
The development will see the city – famed for its roundabouts – grow by more than half as parish councils are already being briefed on the City’s intentions for growth.
Helen Macaulay, 79, from Castlethorpe, said that she did not want new houses spoiling the landscape
Locals – who complain that their local services are already too stretched – say that the proposals just won’t work, and will destroy the countryside they know and love
The development will see the city – famed for its roundabouts – grow by more than half as parish councils are already being briefed on the City’s intentions for growth
Rob Coles, 70, a retired architect from Haversham, who has lived in the village for 20 years, said the development would ‘destroy the area’
And while 15,500 are set to be added to the city itself, between 3,500 and 12,500 are earmarked to be added to countryside communities surrounding the ‘new town’.
These are set to be added to the landscape before 2050 as locals fight to protect their countryside.
Helen Macaulay, 79, from Castlethorpe, said: ‘We don’t want new houses spoiling the green belt. We need to keep our green spaces.’
Rob Coles, 70, a retired architect from Haversham who has lived in the village for 20 years, continued: ‘There is going to be disruption if it goes ahead. It will destroy the area.
‘I used to be involved with big developments and it always boiled down to the infrastructure, roads and so on.’
And retired Hanslope GP John Sorrell, 77, said: ‘There is no infrastructure, particularly for the medical services. The resources aren’t there.
‘I came here in 1976 to be the village doctor. Until recently they had five doctors and still they couldn’t cope and now they have one doctor, who is leaving.
‘It will be too much for the roads. They will be gridlocked.’
Retired Hanslope GP John Sorrell, 77, said complained that there is no infrastructure to support the new homes
Locals fear that the local infrastructure is not enough to support thousands of new residents. Pictured: Castlethorpe’s village shop
While 15,500 are set to be added to the city itself, between 3,500 and 12,500 are earmarked to be added to countryside communities surrounding the ‘new town’
Others argued that the Buckinghamshire villages could be ‘spoiled’ if the work was to go ahead.
And many echoed the sentiment that while some home-building is needed, it is impractical to thrust these developments on tiny, rural towns.
One woman in Hanslope said: ‘People have got to live somewhere, but it is not good for us.
‘We have lived here for 30 years and love it. The countryside is gorgeous, but traffic here is bonkers already, especially in the morning. For the qualify of life of the villages it is going to be too much. A small development would be ok.’
Another woman in Haversham, who did not want to be named, added: ‘There is no infrastructure to build thousands and thousands of homes.
‘This is a lovely area and we don’t want it built over. The area will be swamped.
‘There are buildings like the old railway sheds in Wolverton (in the north of Milton Keynes), which is nearby, that could be converted into homes.’
Janet Shipton, a retired teacher from Hanslope, continued: ‘There is no infrastructure – we need more doctors and more schools. It is a lovely village and we don’t need it spoiled.’
Janet Shipton, a retired teacher from Hanslope, said the influx of homes would ‘spoil’ her villiage
The new homes are set to be added to the landscape before 2050 as locals fight to protect their countryside
Cleaner Nicola Gibbons, 49, said that even though houses need to be built, she thinks the council need to protect the countryside.
Residents argued that the stunning Buckinghamshire villages could be ‘spoiled’ if the work was to go ahead
And Nicola Gibbons, 49, a cleaner from Castlethorpe, said: ‘Houses are needed. People have to have somewhere to live, but I worry about the countryside.
‘Enough houses have been built already in Hanslope. I don’t think they require anymore.
‘It is a nightmare to get into our doctor’s now.’
Hanslope ecologist Elijah Bird, 23, said: ‘People have got to live somewhere, but it is a shame to lose green space.’
And John Tompkins, 47, who runs Hanslope News shop, said that the homes must be added to the community – but the plan of action must be thought through.
The food and drink supplier said ‘It needs to be done properly. Milton Keynes is one of the top ten places to live in the country and people need homes. ‘
One man in Castlethope said: ‘They have got to be built – we don’t want people sleeping on the streets.’
The plans come as Keir Starmer has promised to put up Georgian-style townhouses in urban areas and build a number of new towns by reclassifying chunks of green belt land as fit for development.
Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North Ben Everitt slammed the concept put forward by the Labour-Liberal Democrat council.
John Tompkins, 47, who runs Hanslope News shop, said that the homes must be added to the community – but the plan of action must be thought through
Many other locals echoed the sentiment that while some home-building is needed, it is impractical to thrust these developments on tiny, rural towns
The food and drink supplier admitted that they need to provide homes because Milton Keynes is so desirable
He told : ‘The core principles should be that it’s it needs to be sustainable, affordable, proportionate and appropriate. 63,000 houses does not fit that bill by any stretch of the imagination.
‘From every perspective, it doesn’t fit the criteria for good development. The affordability thing really irks me because as part of this the council are planning to reduce the percentage of affordable housing that they require from 31 per cent to 27 per cent.
‘That’s outrageous. They are clearly building the wrong type to houses and that doesn’t help anyone in Milton Keynes.
‘We’re ending up in a situation where the council is building houses that only people from outside the area can afford, and therefore coming in with kind of pre-baked families and adding much more demand to our public services. The whole thing is just a completely poorly thought-out mess.’
Mr Everitt agreed with his constituents that there was a need for housing – but this had to be done in a sustainable and affordable fashion.
The MP for Milton Keynes North added that the works would build on agricultural land that would be lost forever if the homes are added.
And he complained that his victories to add health infrastructure – with £250million pledged for a new hospital in Milton Keynes – are being smashed by the council’s schemes.
Mr Everitt continued: ‘You talk to anybody in any of my villages and they would say some affordable proportionate building is going to be good for our community.
Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North Ben Everitt slammed the concept put forward by the Labour-Liberal Democrat council
Mr Everitt agreed with his constituents that there was a need for housing – but this had to be done in a sustainable and affordable fashion
‘But we’re talking 10s of units, not thousands of units – and it just baffles me that it’s being done in this way.
‘People are people are furious, and rightly so. They feel like it’s being done to them.
‘The infrastructure required to service the scale of building on this in Is is quite phenomenal and there appears to be no plan for that.
‘I’m working my a**e off getting all this health infrastructure in but at the same time the council is hosing us with these massive houses that people can’t afford.
‘It is obvious that we’re not solving the problem for anyone and frankly, it seems like it’s making it worse.’
In October Labour Leader Keir Starmer set out his plans for a decade in power at the party’s conference in Liverpool, including a target of 1.5million new homes over five years.
At the heart of Starmer’s ‘big build’ is a controversial plan to release ‘low-quality’ green belt land such as scrubland and car parks for housing development, which Labour would brand ‘grey belt’.
Georgian-style town houses are expected to be favoured to maximise the impact, with tough rules about making properties affordable.
The development will see the city – famed for its roundabouts – grow by more than half as parish councils are already being briefed on the City’s intentions for growth
And a new generation of new towns like Harlow, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Crawley, Basildon and Milton Keynes would be built as part of a ‘decade of renewal’, Sir Keir says.
Dozens of sites are already being considered under the policy, with rumours that the M1 corridor and land around Cambridge would be earmarked.
Tony Blair’s New Labour government pushed for ‘eco towns’ in 2007 – and Gordon Brown backed them when he took over – but most of the projects fell away due to public discontent.
Sir Keir laid out an ambition to construct huge numbers of new homes, and even new towns, by streamlining planning and removing obstacles.
Cllr Peter Marland, of Milton Keynes City Council, pledged to listen to the villagers after approached the authority for comment.
He said: ‘It’s very upsetting to see all the comments from people who are concerned, particularly in Castlethorpe and Haversham.
‘The council has very clearly said that the land promoted by a developer called ‘MK North’ is not a favoured option of the council and it will be unlikely to progress beyond the very early consultation precisely for the reasons local residents have highlighted around the inability to provide the levels of infrastructure our city favours.
‘It would probably take at least a new motorway junction and significant new investment in our hospital to develop that area, and that’s very unlikely at the moment.
‘Sadly, there has been a lot of upset caused by some local politicians using this as a campaign item, and it has caused some understandable concern, but I’m really clear through this process will will listen and hear what residents have to say.
‘We will build the houses our young people need in Milton Keynes, but in places that can address the concerns of residents.’