Milton Keynes going forward
MK City Plan 2050
Milton Keynes City Council has been preparing a new Local Plan to guide development in the city. The MK City Plan 2050 sets out the spatial strategy and policies to guide development in Milton Keynes over the plan period from 2022-2050. It sets out how they aim to provide more homes and meet the growing needs of our local population and businesses while protecting our green spaces and rural areas. Once adopted, the Local Plan will play a central role in shaping Milton Keynes’ future, including where new homes and jobs are located, how infrastructure is delivered, how the natural and historic environment is protected and enhanced, and how sustainable travel is supported.
The MK City Plan 2050 was submitted to the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in April 2026 for independent examination. The examination is the final stage of plan preparation before adoption. You can find out more here.
Proposed New Town
In March 2026, the Government announced that Milton Keynes is one of seven locations nationally being taken forward for further consideration as part of its New Towns programme. The Programme includes a ‘Renewed Town’ of circa 40,000 new homes in Milton Keynes; reinvigorating the city centre and expanding to the north and east whilst reshaping the way people travel, by delivering a locally appropriate transport solution.
The Government website states:
“We are determined to get spades in the ground on at least three new towns in this Parliament and will strive to accelerate work on all of the sites that are eventually selected for inclusion in the programme.”
“As we have always promised, we intend to create well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive places where people want to live with all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.”
“Milton Keynes presents an opportunity to reinvigorate the city centre and deliver much needed housing growth in surrounding expansion areas. The proposal would expand the city periphery and could potentially deliver at a large and accelerated scale of circa 40,000 homes in the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, providing excellent opportunities to capitalise on its strategic location and proximity to the recently announced ambitious Universal Studios theme park to further boost economic growth. An appropriate local transport solution could help to ensure that new housing sites are well connected, subject to a suitable investment case by local partners. While 50% of the site is greenfield land which is likely to experience significant negative impacts on land use and landscape, there are likely to be positive impacts on the remaining brownfield parts of the site.” “…it should be possible to deliver at Milton Keynes East, with build out in central and Milton Keynes North contingent on the most appropriate local transport solution in the city.”
You can read more here.
Public Consultation – Get involved!
The fact that Milton Keynes is included in a national consultation on the Government’s draft New Towns Programme, does not mean that final decisions have been made, or that specific development proposals have been approved. The consultation is an opportunity for communities, stakeholders and organisations to understand the proposals and share their views before the Government decides which locations to confirm and how the programme will operate.
Alongside the consultation, the Government has published a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). This looks at the potential environmental effects of the New Towns Programme as a whole, including the broad locations being considered, and how impacts could be avoided or mitigated.
You can find out more and take part using the links below:
New Towns Draft Programme – public consultation New Towns Draft Programme – GOV.UK
New Towns – Government Factsheet
New Towns Taskforce – source Proposed New Town | Milton Keynes City Council
The Government-appointed New Towns Taskforce developed a shortlist of locations for new and expanded places, well placed to boost economic growth and the supply of new homes, spreading opportunity and supporting strong communities.
You can read their report, published in September 2025, at New Towns Taskforce: Report to government – GOV.UK
Three areas are being considered in Milton Keynes.
- a new urban neighbourhood in Central Milton Keynes
- continuing the major expansion to the East of the M1 motorway
- a developer-led proposal for major expansion North of Milton Keynes.
The first two are already part of the city’s long-term plan, the MK City Plan 2050. The third has been proposed by landowners and developers, and is not being progressed through this local plan process.
In total, these three areas could deliver around 40,000 new homes, as well as jobs, schools, surgeries, community facilities, open space and the other infrastructure and facilities needed to make people-friendly and healthy places.
The Government is now looking further at the Taskforce recommendations, including the opportunity for Milton Keynes to again be designated as a new town, during a period of ‘due diligence’. If they take Milton Keynes forward as a preferred location, it means parts of our city will be in a national programme to speed up building homes, improving infrastructure (like transport and schools), and boosting the local economy. Creating a Greater Milton Keynes would be a step-change in the level of growth that the city has seen in the last few decades. It’s a chance to bring more investment into the city, helping to improve the quality of life for existing and future generations.
Government published to consult on a Strategic Environmental Assessment for the New Towns programme starting in March Spring 2026.
At Full Council on 19 November 2025, a motion was presented and carried that MK City Council welcomes the publication of the Taskforce report and recognises the importance of working together with Government in shaping the plans.
The City Council has signed a new agreement with the major developers and landowners within the potential New Town growth areas to strengthen Milton Keynes’ national role as a provider of homes, infrastructure, jobs and well-planned communities.
The Memorandum of Understanding marks a commitment to work together following the recommendation of the New Towns Taskforce that Milton Keynes forms part of the UK’s next generation of new towns.
The agreement brings the City Council together with Berkeley, the Bristol Society of Merchant Venturers, Gallagher, Hallam Land, Milton Keynes Development Partnership, Taylor Wimpey and Urban&Civic. Together, these developers and landowners control land for around 40,000 new homes and the infrastructure that will support them, helping to create the strong, vibrant communities of the future. By presenting a united voice, the “Milton Keynes New Town Partnership” aims to secure investment, improve infrastructure and create growth that benefits residents and businesses across Milton Keynes. Read The Memorandum of Understanding.
Grateful thanks to Community Action: MK for keeping us updated on these developments
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