English Partnerships (EP) own vast tracts of land within the unitary county. Their remit is to ensure that maximum use is made of brown field sites for development. This of course refers to land that they own.

There are quite a lot of "Reserve Sites" remaining unused on Fishermead and Oldbrook in particular, there are a few in the remainder of the parish area. These plots of land have certain usages registered. Any development has to fall within these permissions.

Keep your eyes open, that piece of land on the corner near you that has lain idle for years is almost certainly not the play area you thought it was.  There are two sections on Fishermead Boulevard for housing with two on Pentewan Gate for office accommodation still to be built on. There is then a plot at the junction of Pencarrow Place and Penryn Avenue earmarked for a children's nursery.

There are other sites under the control of the Community Foundation (formerly the Community Trust). Yet other plots come under the control of the Parks Trust.

Some of the play areas are to be reduced in size to create space for "affordable housing". Play areas are a thorny issue and are classified in three grades.  Only grade one are considered as being permanent as they were funded by an endowment from the former Development Corporation. Unfortunately over the years MKC has spent this money on other things. Never forget that play areas are not, despite a lot of opinion to the contrary, sacrosanct. Most people confuse the rules applying to play areas with those that apply to playing fields, the latter are extremely difficult for a local authority to close.

Too many of the play areas are being vandalised by the very children they were provided for. If you see such damage being caused contact the Technical Services Department at Milton Keynes Council (in Saxon Court) or telephone 691691 and ask for Technical Services.

The powers of English Partnerships are currently under review by the House of Lords and a Select Committee. The Audit Commission has issued part 1 of its report on the subject. It now looks as if the planning permissions granted on the land in question in the 1960's are now to be revoked and the authority for planning passed to where it should be - the district council. That is of course if one could trust the district council not to use the land in question for ridiculous schemes. History tells us that MKC have a habit of doing just that. Whenever they build something that is a success, they sell it at less than an equitable rate.