Hundreds of new homes to be built on Milton Keynes estate will be the greenest in the city

The council plans to build 593 new 'affordable' homes on Bletchley's Lakes Estate as part of a wide-scale regeneration programme.

Just over 50 per cent of them will be for council tenants, while the remainder will be private.

Building work is due to start at the end of this year.

This week MK Council said the new dwellings will be "an example of affordable zero carbon living", with energy bills cut by around 70 per cent for residents.

An innovative energy centre also planned for the 1960s estate is expected to help cut the carbon footprint by 50 per cent per household.

The process of recruiting contractors to deliver the project is set for next week at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet.

The first phase will involve building some of the planned homes on spare land around the estate, while the second phase involves bulldozing the existing run-down Serpentine Court area to make way for the remainder.

Cllr Emily Darlington, Cabinet member for public realm and council housing said: “We are delivering on our promise to the tenants of Serpentine Court by delivering them the greenest new homes which will also create local jobs and apprenticeships.

"We understand how much this means to local people and know that the project will make a lasting difference for families on the Lakes Estate. We’re confident that these new homes, along the improvements to the wider estate, will set the bar for green sustainable living.”

The £128m investment in Serpentine Court and the Lakes Estate include proposals for a new local centre with new shops, an improved and enhanced Warren Park, general street enhancements and an improved bus network and parking

MK Council submitted a planning application earlier this year to redevelop Serpentine Court and make improvements to the Lakes Estate. The planning application is expected to be determined by the Council’s Development Control Committee in October.

The proposals have been formed with the local community, following a ballot in 2018 where 93 per cent of those who took part voted to fully redevelop the estate.

The council has vowed to continue its conversations with local people as the plans progress.