People in Milton Keynes feel 'under siege' from developers building so many new homes, says leading councillor

Many communities across MK have felt under siege from developers for far too many years, said MK’s Tory leader this week.

Long-standing councillor and former city mayor David Hopkins said people “need a break” from the impacts of ongoing development year in and year out.

He was speaking out about the New City Plan, which will provide a blueprint for all future housing, development and infrastructure in Milton Keynes up until the year 2050.

The council is in the early stages of preparing the plan but the ruling Labour and Lib Dem alliance has already stated it could make the city as big as Liverpool and Manchester in 30 years time.

It would see the MK’s population almost double from 287,000 to 500,000, with up to 3,000 new homes built every year.

And It could even involve an electric tram system to provide effective and eco-friendly transport across the city for all the new residents.

Cllr Hopkins has welcomed the news that the council will hold a 12 week consultation to gather residents’ views on the plan.

“However, I hope that this is a genuine attempt to gather and consider seriously the wide variety of different opinions and priorities that exist across the city and is not just yet another attempt to build in unachievable housebuilding targets and concentrates more on building communities fit for a smart city of the future,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Citizen revealed that more than five brand new homes are being built every day in Milton Keynes at the moment.

Cllr Hopkins said the new plan should allow us the council look afresh at the development of new communities rather than simply “bolting on” more and more houses to the existing development area.

“The government, through scaling back prescriptive housing targets and indicating changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has also allowed us the freedom to set our own targets to meet local need and growth rather than top-down imposed housing demands. In effect, we can start to take back control of planning, something I know the administration of MKCC has been campaigning for over a number of years,” he said.

"Many communities across MK have felt under siege from developers for far too many years and need and deserve a break from the impacts of ongoing development year in and year out.”

Cllr Hopkins is pushing for the new plan to meet local need of the generations of MK citizens and the needs of employers investing in MK.

Houses should be larger and better insulated and there should be “genuine regeneration” of those parts of MK that are staring to feel their age, he said.

He also feels developments should providing optimum public safety, with well-lit streets accessible for fire engine and other emergency vehicles.

And there should be suitable employment sites, including a Science Park specialising in the motor sports industry, AI, and other new niche technologies, to support the development of a sustainable MK University.