Stumbling block placed on craze to convert offices into flats in Central Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Council has this week removed developers’ automatic right to convert offices into residential units within the Central Business District (CBD) of Milton Keynes.

A special Article 4 Direction for the area has been approved by the government. It has removed all permitted development rights, meaning that developers will now have to apply for planning permission to convert an office to residential use within the CBD.

This approach will give the city council more control to ensure that new homes are of a high quality and that they comply with relevant council planning policies.

Nationally, developers have a right carry out some office to residential conversions under permitted rights' legislation.

This can mean local councils have little say in what is happening, no power to insist the developer provides any affordable housing in their conversion scheme and no control over the quality of the new flats.

In CMK, hundreds of new apartments have been built over the past few years and there are plans in the pipeline for well over a thousand more. Some of these are new build schemes, while others are office block conversions.

A Citizen investigation earlier this year showed some new apartments at CMK are simply not selling and have been on the market for two years, priced at between £245,000 and £335,000.

One of the biggest local conversion schemes is at Station House, where offices above the train station are being made into 200 flats. The scheme was hotly opposed by MK Council, but, following an appeal, the developers were granted permitted development rights.

Council leader Pete Marland had previously described the proposed flats as "poky", saying they will be sited above an "exceptionally busy and noisy railway station" and have windows that do not open.

Another conversion scheme is on former offices in Avebury Boulevard, which will become 46 flats.

Pete is now is optimistic that the Article 4 Direction will show curb future projects.

“For too long, offices have been converted into homes that we as a local authority just wouldn’t approve. I’m pleased that we will now have this Direction in place, which will help us ensure that new homes built in CMK are high quality and meet all necessary regulations,” he said.