Milton Keynes
Profile
Milton Keynes was designated as a New Town on 23 January 1967. With an area of 8,900 ha (22,000 acres), Milton Keynes enjoys a strategic location, impressive design, first class industrial and commercial premises and an excellent quality of life. It is in the heart of one of the nation’s fastest growing regions which in turn is the most heavily populated urban area in Europe. In recent years, Milton Keynes has undergone a major leisure and growth expansion including the opening of the first UK real indoor ski slope complex, Xscape, and a further development of some 50 shops in the main shopping centre – Midsummer Place. It also has its own regional theatre and art gallery.
Travel and transport
Milton Keynes is well-placed for major cities including London, Birmingham, Cambridge and Oxford and has good road links to surrounding towns including Bedford, Northampton, Aylesbury and Luton. The city is situated near the M1 (Junctions 13 and 14) and is ideally placed for London’s airports at Luton and Heathrow. It has a fast rail link into London Euston (approximately 45 minutes).
Employment
Milton Keynes is the business base for more than 3,500 companies, including around 500 with a non-UK parent company. Main industries in the area include electronics, computing, financial services, food processing, distribution and business services. Major employers include the Open University, Argos and Tesco.
Population
Milton Keynes has a population of nearly 230,000 people and is home to over 10,000 businesses.
Leisure
Milton Keynes boasts the UK's first real indoor ski slope complex, Xscape, thecentre:mk and Midsumer Place offer over 300 shops under one roof and an excellent theatre and art gallery add to the mix of leisure attractions. There is no shortage of green spaces with 4,500 acres of river valleys, woodlands, lakesides and parks. The city has well over 20 million trees.
Special Status
Milton Keynes has been earmarked by government as the major focus for expansion in the Milton Keynes/South Midlands Growth Area, identified in the Sustainable Communities Plan. To deliver this growth, government has put forward plans to create a Partnership Committee with additional powers to drive forward new sustainable development. More information is available on the Milton Keynes Partnership Committee page.
Current Projects
Information about all projects within Milton Keynes can now be found on the Milton Keynes Partnership website.
MK 2031
MKPC's remit includes responsibility for a new Plan to guide growth which will act as a stepping-stone for all future statutory development plans at both regional and local level. For the past 35 years, Milton Keynes has never really stopped growing, guided by a robust city plan. This new plan will ensure the rest of Milton Keynes is as good as the first. A newsletter setting out more information about MK2031 can be downloaded from the Publications page.