Green light for major plans to overhaul Milton Keynes multi-storey car park

Major plans to overhaul a multi-storey car park in Milton Keynes have been approved.

Milton Keynes Council has green-lit the future redevelopment of the CMK Theatre multi-storey parking site on the corner of Avebury Boulevard and Marlborough Gate.

A draft development brief has been put together to help prospective developers submit proposals for the site.

Retention of the curved roof was requested during consultation, but officers found it holds “no great architectural merit or value”.

“That is not to say that any development proposal cannot seek to utilise a continuation of the existing curve as an architectural feature, if it is beneficial to the proposed design for the site”, a document reads.

Concerns were also raised over replacement building heights. “It is the officer view that the site is appropriate for a taller building than the existing car park structure,” the council said.

However, any building taller than eight storeys will be assessed against planning policy.

“The brief makes it clear that a placemaking-led mixed-use scheme is required that prioritises community, leisure and/or culture on lower floors,” a document states.

“The brief furthermore does not propose a residential-led development.”