Planning permission granted for almost 400 more apartments to be built in Central Milton Keynes

Zephyr X Developments has been given the green light by the city council to build 376 flats in an eight storey tall block on Avebury Boulevard, on the site of the former Allianz offices.

Built solely for the rental market, the apartments will be high-quality, luxurious and have “meticulously crafted living spaces’, say Zephyr.

“Our vision for 500 Avebury Boulevard is to create more than just apartments—it’s about fostering a vibrant community that elevates residents’ lifestyles while enhancing the dynamism of Milton Keynes,” said the company’s Managing Director Graham Haydon-White

But the move has sparked criticism from residents, who are questioning why so many similar apartment blocks are springing up in the centre.

"I appreciate that we need more homes for people,” said one. “But if you count the number of new apartments already built or planned to be built in our city centre, it’s literally up into the thousands.

"It’s our shopping centre, our leisure and business centre and the heart of our city. Yet it’s fast becoming Apartment Central,” he added.

Another resident said: “Who can afford these apartments? Many of them are classed as luxury, with rents for a one-bed flat almost as high as those for a family home elsewhere.?”

Many of the new or proposed flats are in tower blocks, the highest of which will be the 32-storey block planned as part of the £180m million redevelopment of Saxon Court.

Construction of the Zephyr project will start early in 2025.