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Milton Keynes – Willen Road Allocation

Authority: 

Milton Keynes Council

Proposed Development:

KEW Planning has provided consultancy advice acting as the planning officer to determine a planning application through a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA), to provide a dedicated resource to deliver the planning application milestones in an efficient and expert way.  The application was for the following:

  • Construction of one storage and distribution unit (Class B8) for Makita UK Limited measuring 47,564 sq. m. of which 44,138 sq. m. with be for the warehouse and 3,392 sq. m. will be for ancillary office space (plus 34m2 gatehouse);
  • Formation of new vehicular access from Willen Road to serve the site as a whole;
  • Provision of Enterprise Park delivering up to 13 units (approximately 28,520 sq. m.) configured to provide high quality light industrial, general industrial and research and development units with ancillary office space. These units will be suitable for medium sized businesses;
  • Ground modelling including the creation of development plateaux, earth bunding alongside the M1 motorway and landscape areas to provide visual and acoustic screening;
  • Provision of surface water attention features;
  • Approximately 5 Ha of landscaping / green space;
  • Improvements to the Marsh End roundabout to improve traffic flow and ease congestion (with associated highway surface water drainage);
  • Provision of off-site bunding and landscaping (eastern side of Willen Road) to provide a visual and acoustic screen.

Planning Issues:

The application was submitted (in 2018) prior to the adoption of the Plan: MK and did not adequately justify the principle of employment development on the site, which was designated open countryside.  The site was allocated for mixed use development in the emerging plan which was in the consultation stage. 

Result:

The applicant was advised that the evidence submitted to justify development did not discount the allocated employment sites.  Furthermore, the junction of the M1 is at full capacity and the central government funding to upgrade the junction to unlock the allocation of the strategic site had not been approved at the time the application was made.  As a consequence, the applicant withdrew the application.