Councillors celebrate reopening of vital link road

(left-right) Labour MP Chris Curtis, Lib Dem councillor Jane Carr and Newport Pagnell mayor Paul Day (along with his wife) popped the champagne corks

Local people and politicians have been breathing a sigh of relief after a link road was reopened after nearly two years of closure.

Part of the A509 near Newport Pagnell in Milton Keynes was closed in September 2023 so construction workers could safely access a housing development.

Nigel Dodman, who said his nearby pub had lost trade due to the closure, commented: "It's going to be easier to plan ahead knowing that the road will not be closed again."

Developer St Joseph, which has been criticised for the delay in the road reopening, has declined to comment.

The A509 is a major road leading off junction 14 of the M1, linking Milton Keynes and Newport Pagnell.

It was closed as 5,000 new properties were being built as part of a larger development of up to 26,500 homes.

It was supposed to be shut for a year, but Milton Keynes City Council blamed "severe weather conditions" for the delays.

Denise and Nigel Dodman said they had to dip into their savings to keep the Carrington Arms pub open in Moulsoe

Denise and Nigel Dodman, who run the Carrington Arms just over a mile away in Moulsoe village, said they lost customers and turnover in June was at least 25% down on other years.

They said they had to dip into their savings to stay afloat.

The pair hope the new housing development will eventually bring in more revenue for them, but Mrs Dodman said: "We have still got to survive for the next few years without those potential customers."

Jane Carr, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader at the city council, said: "There are a lot of people that are still very angry and would like answers."

She said the city council could have been "shouting" at the developer "making them understand they got this completely wrong".

"One of the excuses the council were given was that we had a very wet winter, but it rains most of the time, so I don't accept that," she continued.

The A509 provides a link to the M1 and Milton Keynes for people living in Newport Pagnell and parts of Bedfordshire

Chris Curtis, who is Labour MP for Milton Keynes North, has called for more financial incentives to encourage developers to "move quickly with projects like this and minimise disruption".

He sits on the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee which scrutinises legislation.

Newport Pagnell Mayor Paul Day also said "a couple of businesses" had closed, saying it was because of the road closure.

Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, Labour cabinet member for public realm at the council, said "we appreciate the impact any long-term road closure can cause".

"We've worked closely with the developers to balance the requirements of this large construction scheme with those of the wider community," she added.