Councillors for Olney and Rural Ward, Cllrs David Tyler, Peter Geary and Keith McLean, are calling on the council to give residents in Newport Pagnell, Olney and the surrounding villages a clear timetable for closing the Newport Pagnell Household Waste Recycling Centre on North Crawley Road.
The council agreed in January 2025 to close all three of the city's existing tips, at Newport Pagnell, New Bradwell and Bleak Hall. They are being replaced by two new sites: one at Old Wolverton, which is due to open by the end of this year, and one at Snelshall near Tattenhoe, planned for 2028.
January has been suggested as a possible closure date for Newport Pagnell, but the council has still not confirmed a date
The closure comes as the area around Newport Pagnell grows faster than almost anywhere else in Milton Keynes. MK East, between the town and the M1, has permission for up to 4,600 new homes. Tickford Fields, a 930-home development recently approved off North Crawley Road, sits on the same road as the tip. Thousands of new households are therefore being planned for the area at the same time as the council is shutting down a local facility residents rely on. This means residents will be forced to drive across the city to dispose of their waste.
Currently the north of Milton Keynes has two tips, at Newport Pagnell and New Bradwell. Both are closing, and only one site, at Old Wolverton, will replace them. The east of the city will be left with no tip at all.
Councillors are particularly concerned about:
Longer journeys for residents in Newport Pagnell, Olney, MK East and the surrounding villages, increasing the time and distance required to dispose of household waste and recycling
They are also worried about pressure on the new Old Wolverton site, which will have to take the demand from two separate recycling centres plus thousands of new homes.
A lack of clarity for traders and van users. Newport Pagnell is currently the only site in Milton Keynes with a dedicated entrance for vehicles over 2 metres, and the council has not said where tradespeople and van users should go once it closes
Residents have also raised concerns around the risk of increased fly tipping and believe that making it harder to dispose of waste properly risks more rubbish dumped in country lanes and lay-bys, with local taxpayers paying to clear it up.
Cllr David Tyler said:
"Residents in Newport Pagnell, Olney and the villages have used this tip for years and it works. Now they're being told it's going, with no date, no plan for traders, and a much longer drive to Wolverton. The north of the city is losing two tips and getting one back. That isn't an improvement for anyone living here."
Cllr Peter Geary said:
"For people in Olney and the villages, this is a real hit. If you make it harder for people to get rid of their rubbish properly, some of it ends up in our lanes and hedgerows, and it's our rural communities that will pay the price. The council needs to publish a closure date, set out what it's doing to stop fly-tipping, and tell traders where they're meant to go. A clear timeline and signposting are the least this council can do so residents and traders are made aware of what the alternatives can be "
