Central Milton Keynes to become denser than Manchester or Bristol by 2050, plans reveal

An additional 11,000 homes are to be built in the MK central district over the next 26 years – on top of the 1,300 new apartments that have already sprung up there over the past five years.

The figures were published this week by Centre for Cities, the nation’s leading think tank dedicated to improving the economies of the UK's largest cities and towns.

Their experts visited Milton Keynes, looked at all the plans for the city’s growth and were given a tour by council leader Peter Marland.

And their subsequent report praises the very rapid growth. It states: “Over the last 5 years, Milton Keynes has outperformed the rest of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and the rest of the country. It has also built houses faster than required by the Government’s new formula – building 2,110 homes per year compared to the new target of 1,720.”

The report adds: “Milton Keynes has recently started building upward in its city centre. 1,300 new apartments have been built in the last 5 years, increasing residential density in the city centre by 62 per cent.

“Milton Keynes does have the (dis)advantage of starting from a very low base – its central district was designed with a lot of car parking space, and it has a number of under/unused commercial buildings. Flipping these and building taller offices and multi-storey car parks are relatively straightforward ways to increase city-centre density.”

It continues: “Importantly, though, the local authority isn’t content with its progress so far. The 2024 draft city plan expects an additional 11,000 homes to be built in the central district by 2050.

"This would see central Milton Keynes becoming denser than both central Bristol and Manchester are today.”

By 2050, CMK will have 49.1 housing units per hectare. This compares to 10.3 per hectare in 2011 and the current figure of 16.7 per hectare.

Centre for Cities state: “Milton Keynes is growing quickly because it has planned to. For example, its current local plan, adopted in 2019, allocates 17 per cent more land than is required to meet housing targets.

"This ambition continues in its 2024 draft City Plan, in which it plans for nearly 10,000 more houses than is required by the Government’s Standard Method. At least in ‘strategic’ locations, policies are set out spatially..

“A significant part of this growth is to be achieved through urban extensions. And these urban extensions haven’t just been allocated by the local authority – they are being actively facilitated by it.”

The report highlights the Milton Keynes East Development, describing it as a 5,000-home site that “should ultimately expand to 16,000 homes”

It adds: “A proposal for a further 8,000-home extension to the north of the city is also being discussed.”

Centre for Cities has also praised MK for affordable housing delivery, stating: “ It ranks 8th out of 296 English local authorities, securing 32 per cent affordable housing across all private developments.”

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