Milton Keynes City Council has today published the first draft of MK City Plan 2050 and have opened a public consultation.
The initial plan sets out a preferred blueprint for the city’s development until 2050, at which point Milton Keynes is expected to grow larger and have a population of around 400,000 people, up from around 260,000 as per the 2021 census.
MK City Plan 2050 is intending to describe the type of homes, jobs and facilities needed to meet that growth and put local people’s needs first, including that no development should happen without the health facilities, schools, shops and community facilities the city needs.
This common sense ‘Infrastructure First’ approach includes allocating space for seven new care homes, 33 dentists, 30 new schools, around 4,000sqm of land for GP surgeries and health care, and other facilities.
Headline figures in the plan include an additional 30,000 homes to be built in addition to those that are already planned for, based on a government formula. Previously undeveloped sites must have at least 40% affordable homes.
In addition, growth in rural areas where local infrastructure could not support development is ruled out.
A new mass rapid-transit system is being investigated to find something that could connect the city’s highest growth areas with the city centre through efficient, reliable and eco-friendly public transport.
A city centre would be transformed with facilities including an undergraduate university, state of the art events arena, and space for an expected 30,000 new jobs with a focus on tech. Around one in three jobs in MK is now in technology or a related business.
The City Council also intends for it’s plan to include bold ideas to try to help tackle climate change and protect green spaces.
Leader of MK City Council, Cllr Pete Marland, said, “The MK City Plan sets out a clear roadmap about how we can deliver well-planned sustainable growth over the next three decades. While our housing numbers are set by government, the responsibility to ensure that growth is delivered sustainably and in the right places is ours.
“Issues with young families getting on the housing ladder are not unique to Milton Keynes. Through the MK City Plan we will require developers to build at least 40% affordable family homes that align with local incomes. MK is already an economic powerhouse which we want to continue to grow. The MK City Plan will ensure we create the right jobs, secure a university in CMK and deliver regeneration in Bletchley to secure a better quality of life for our people.
“We understand concerns about the pressure that growth could put on existing services, and that’s why we’re taking an infrastructure first approach to secure funding for our local hospital, new health facilities, new schools and places for the community to enjoy. Growth must be measured and sustainable, which is why we won’t be allocating sites in places like west of Olney, MK North and in some other rural areas because the infrastructure isn’t right.
“This is a really important opportunity for people to tell us about the things that matter to them when it comes to the future of our city. I encourage people to get involved in the consultation and share their thoughts with us.”
MK City Plan 2050 is an important planning document that will be submitted to the UK government’s Secretary of State next year.
The full draft plan can be read on the Milton Keynes City Council website and local people can make comments and propose alternatives until 9 October. Feedback received from local residents and businesses will be used to refine the draft Plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State next year.