First glimpse of how Milton Keynes city centre's new tower block of flats will look - all 33 storeys of it

Galliford Try has been given the go-ahead to build the mighty tower block, which will become the tallest building in Milton Keynes.

It will be on Grafton Gate, on the site of the former council-owned Saxon Court housing office. The development will house around 300 apartments, all built for people to rent privately rather than buy.

The project, which will be known as MK Gateway, has been welcomed by Milton Keynes City Council.

Galliford bosses say it will bring “much-needed homes” to the immediate vicinity and will improve the current local public realm around the site.

A spokesperson said: “At ground floor level the development will feature commercial spaces, one of which opens out onto the adjacent Grafton Park, providing opportunity for a café with outdoor seating and connectivity to green space within the city centre.

"The building will also include a large amount of attractive, shared amenity space for residents which will provide areas such as a fitness studio, games room and resident lounge, along with flexible workspace and a bookable private dining area. “Residents will also benefit from an orangery and rooftop landscaped terrace on the 29th floor as well as landscaped terrace and internal lounge at the 10th floor providing views of the city centre and to the countryside beyond in multiple directions.”

The scheme has this month been given planning permission and Galliford will now be developing the design information necessary to obtain a Gateway 2 approval under the Building Safety Act before starting work on site. Phil Harris, Managing Director for Galliford Try Investments, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in achieving planning permission for the 599 Grafton Gate scheme, which adds to our growing portfolio of PRS developments across the UK. He added: “This is our first PRS scheme in Milton Keynes as a developer/contractor and we look forward to working with the Council planning department on future PRS opportunities in the city. 599 Grafton Gate will deliver high quality, professionally managed new homes for local people in Milton Keynes and we look forward to commencing construction in the near future.”