The Milton Keynes Council Planning Committee met on Thursday 18 July 2024 and considered two items of business: a planning application for the redevelopment of The Point in Central Milton Keynes, and an update on the outcome of recent planning appeals. The planning application was refused, and the committee noted the outcomes of the appeals.

23/02265/FUL - The Point - 602 Midsummer Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3NB

The committee considered a planning application for the redevelopment of The Point, a leisure and entertainment complex in Central Milton Keynes. The proposal was for the demolition of the existing buildings and the erection of a mixed-use development comprising 487 build-to-rent flats in four buildings ranging from 7 to 18 storeys in height, as well as ground floor commercial, leisure and community floorspace.

The application had been the subject of a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with the applicant.

A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) is a project management tool which can be used in planning applications for large or complex development proposals. It is an agreement between the local planning authority and the applicant (or applicants) for a particular development (or developments), which sets out a clear timetable for the stages of the application process. ¹ Councillor Thomas, representing Central Milton Keynes Town Council, spoke against the application, arguing that the height of the development would harm the setting of the nearby Grade II listed shopping centre. Local Ward Councillor, Councillor Petchey, was also concerned about the impact of the development on the wind microclimate for bus passengers at the nearby bus interchange.

Speaking for the applicant, planning agent P Dalton argued that

The primary aim of the applicant was to transform the site from its current state, which was described as underused and deteriorating, to a place of vibrant activity .

He also said that the council should have raised any concerns about a lack of information during the PPA process. An architect involved in the application, J Pickard, argued that previous schemes had been discounted because they involved retaining buildings on the site. He also disputed the council's assertion that the applicant had failed to provide information about long-range views of the development.

Council officers responded that planning policy is now much stronger on non-designated heritage assets than it was when previous planning permissions had been granted at the site. Officers also argued that the applicant had not provided sufficient information to support its viability assessment, and that the council was not obliged to start a viability assessment from scratch .

A viability assessment is used to determine the ability of a development scheme to contribute to policy requirements, such as requirements to provide affordable housing as part of a development. ² During the debate on the application, councillors raised concerns about the lack of affordable housing proposed and said that the application did not provide sufficient evidence of viability. Councillors also said that whilst the development of the site would be welcome, they could not support the current application. The committee voted unanimously to refuse planning permission.

Appeal Decisions Received

The committee noted a report on recent appeal decisions. Appeal Ref: APP/Y0435/X/23/3332075 concerned the change of use of a dwelling house to a short-term let. The appeal was dismissed, and the Planning Inspector provided guidance on the threshold for when a dwelling house becomes an Airbnb. The Head of Planning, J Palmer, said that only 14% of planning appeals in Milton Keynes had been successful in the current calendar year, compared to a national average of 25-30%.