A509: Why are parts of it closing for a whole year?

The closure affects the A509 on the Newport Pagnell side of the M1

A busy road in Buckinghamshire will be closed for a whole year from Monday.

Parts of the A509 between Milton Keynes and Newport Pagnell will be closed until 27 September 2024.

Milton Keynes City Council said the closure was necessary to allow safe access for housing development work.

The move has drawn some criticism, including from Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt.

Where is the closure happening?

A section of the A509 road will be closed between the Tickford roundabout and the Newport Road junction

The A509 is a major road leading off junction 14 of the M1.

The closures are on the A509 London Road that leads to Newport Pagnell and do not affect the road on the Milton Keynes side of the motorway.

Sections of the A509 will be closed between the junction with Newport Road and the Tickford Roundabout, which links with the A422.

Milton Keynes City Council said it would be a "full closure, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week".

It added that there would be "local access only" to the Holiday Inn and Pyms stables, but all other traffic will have to follow a diversion route via the V8 Marlborough Street on to the H3 Monks Way to link up with the A422.

How will it affect local people and business?

There will be "access only" to the Holiday Inn on the A509 London Road

The council has urged drivers to allow up to 15 minutes extra for their journeys, and the diversion will mean a lot of extra traffic coming through the Willen Lake area of Milton Keynes.

Newport Pagnell Mayor Paul Day said it would also affect travel on his side of the M1.

He said the traffic would "congest" and "affect journey times for people getting to work or going about their business" as well hitting businesses "if they're delivering or taking deliveries or expecting customers".

He added that he was worried that the diverted traffic and congested roads will cause more pollution in Newport Pagnell.

Why is the closure taking place?

Developers are building on land beside the A509, which will be closed from the junction pictured (Newport Road)

The council said the closure was "necessary to allow safe access for development works".

An area of 461 hectares is being built on, with an expected 5,000 new properties alongside "employment land for business" being created as part of a larger development of up to 26,500 new homes around the M1 and Newport Pagnell.

Councillor Lauren Townsend, cabinet member for public realm, said the authority appreciated that "any long-term road closure causes inconvenience, so we are collaborating closely with the developers to reduce this as much as possible".

The developers, St James, and engineering and construction company Laing O'Rourke have created an app, MKE, that they said would provide up-to-date information about the development.

Why did MP Ben Everitt start a petition?

MK North MP Ben Everitt opposes the road closure and the MK East expansion.

Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North Ben Everitt launched a petition against the closure of the A509 as he said it would cause "traffic chaos" for people in Newport Pagnell and nearby villages.

He is also opposed to the MK East expansion plans, which he has called "reckless".

"The fact that more than 1,000 people had signed my petition in under a week shows the level of opposition to this plan," he said.

"I hope it will make [the council] rethink and put forward an alternative."

He has asked for an "alternative solution" that "actually puts our rural residents first for a change" .