Town 'frustrated' by delays in reopening road

People have been "frustrated" by the continued closure of a road linking their town with the neighbouring city, their mayor said.

Paul Day, Mayor of Newport Pagnell, said roadworks on the A509, coupled with the construction of a roundabout on nearby Willen Road, have caused "longer journeys for people, and businesses in the town are saying it is affecting trade".

The road was due to close for a year as part of a 5,000-home development, but it is now more than 100 days since the September deadline for reopening passed.

Milton Keynes City Council's Cabinet Member for Public Realm, Akash Nayee, said "severe weather conditions since the project started" had led to "some delays to the works".

In September 2023, the council closed the road between the junction with Newport Road, just north of the M1 at junction 14, and the Tickford Roundabout, which links with the A422, to allow safe access for construction workers.

Alongside the new homes, "employment land for business" is being created as part of a much larger development of up to 26,500 new dwellings while a new roundabout is also being built at the junction of the A422 and Willen Road.

Mr Day said: "I have heard a hotelier say it has been a record low for occupation levels, because if you are a business person coming here to stay at a hotel, you have got to navigate the works in two directions."

He added that compensation for businesses "does not exist" and that Newport Pagnell Town Council had asked for a relief road to be built first, but "that was not the way the project went".

He said "the planning authority and the highways authority are both part of Milton Keynes council" and had "committed multiple, overlapping major roadworks, which have caused an impact".

He added that there was no fixed date for the road to reopen.

Nayee said: "We sympathise with local people on the inconvenience the works have caused and are continuing to work with the developers to ensure everything is being done as quickly as possible.

"We did not agree to the whole amount of additional time the developer requested, and only permitted a three-month extension as we recognise the impact on residents.

"Given the scale and complexity of the project, alongside the weather challenges, completing such a major scheme even in the timescale involved, and on budget, is a huge achievement."

A city council meeting was told there would be no penalty charges for the developers as "no costs were being incurred by the council as a result of the delays".

A spokesperson for developers St Joseph said: "The road was reopened for local access before Christmas as planned" and that "through access to Junction 14 is expected to complete at the end of summer."

They added this was "three months later than originally planned, due to exceptional weather conditions over recent months, but they apologise for the inconvenience this has caused."

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