Launch of the Two Mile Ash Environmental Group (TMAEG)
The launch event took place on the evening of Saturday 8 October at the Holy Cross Church on the High Street. In his presentation, local resident, as well as town planner, Chris Gossop outlined the need for new thinking about the future of Two Mile Ash. Begun in 1983, this residential grid square with its total of around 2000 homes is located on what is currently the western edge of Milton Keynes. With its wide variety of house types, its two excellent schools, its beautiful landscaping and its distinctive village centre, Two Mile Ash has been a fine place to live. However, some features are beginning to show their age and, as elsewhere in our country, there have been local traffic conflicts as car ownership and use has continued to grow.
The campaign that led to the formal launch arose out of such a conflict. Some twenty mature trees had been felled within the previous 18 months, for the most part to ease parking alongside Two Mile Ash School (the middle school) , and there were plans afoot to provide more spaces within the landscaped strip to the west of the local store, One Stop. But as residents argued, that would result in the loss of ten trees, eight them particularly fine maples, for a net gain of just nine car parking spaces and the integrity of this area as a pedestrian corridor and amenity for residents would be badly eroded. In the end, that argument won the day. Some additional parking is to be provided, but in a far less destructive way.
In the view of TMAEG, it is time for new thinking about Two Mile Ash. That thinking should be about the following (among other things):
- How Two Mile Ash can be sympathetically renewed in a way that reflects the essence of its original structure and design, focusing, in particular, on the main areas of public realm within the village centre.
- More imaginative ways to ease present conflicts caused by mainly school related traffic and parking.
- How all sections of the TMA community might become involved in ways to improve our environment.
TMAEG’s purpose and detailed objectives
There is much that TMA residents could do to contribute towards practical improvements. So the new Environmental Group has developed a partnership with BTCV, a national charity whose aim is to involve local people in their environment. As Community Project Officer Monique van Assouw explained at the launch, BTCV is already active in Milton Keynes and it is intended that its involvement should now cover projects in TMA. It is likely that those works will include the rehabilitation of the pond in Stone Hill.
Link to TMAEG plans pond restoration.
But, TMAEG will also be working with the local schools. Already, the first such project has been carried out in the form of bulb planting by Ashbrook School children in the Local Park.
Link to Launch of Two Mile Ash Environmental Group.
At the launch meeting, a committee was elected and the main features of a formal constitution for TMAEG were discussed. With a few detailed changes, that constitution was approved at the first meeting of the TMAEG committee.
Link to Constitution.
It was confirmed at the launch that membership of TMAEG should be set at just £5.00 per household.
How to join TMAEG