Council bosses plan economic boost for Bletchley with new rail route

The rail scheme will provide the area with direct rail links to Oxford and Cambridge alongside its existing links to the capital.

Located at the heart of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, it will have unrivalled rail connectivity within the region and beyond, which gives a strong basis for future growth and investment.

Councillor Martin Gowans, cabinet member for planning and transport published the Central Bletchley Prospectus following engagement with the local community.

Some of the opportunities include:

- New gateways - creating an eastern railway station entrance and a transport interchange that faces the town centre.

- Reconnecting Queensway - opening up Queensway and reconnecting it with the Buckingham Road.

- Town centre - working with partners to enable the redevelopment of underused sites and buildings and the delivery of public realm improvements on Queensway.

- Station Quarter – improved connectivity could enable this to become a thriving mixed-use area in close proximity to the train station and Bletchley Park.

The document sets out MK Council’s ambition to ensure Central Bletchley benefits from the opportunities that will flow from East-West Rail, and is designed to promote these opportunities to potential investors, developers and operators.

The council will now begin the process of producing a planning document setting out guidance for future development within the Central Bletchley Prospectus Area.

It is also bidding for up to £25m in the Government’s Towns Fund programme to benefit Bletchley.

Councillor Gowans said: “I’m delighted to present our exciting prospectus for Central Bletchley. The East-West rail project presents significant opportunities for both local people and businesses in the area.

"This document sets out how we can capitalise on these opportunities in the coming years.

“I’d like to thank council colleagues for their work on this and I look forward to working with partners to deliver on our ambition for Central Bletchley.”