Information for Developers

Planning authorities and responsibilities

In Milton Keynes there are two local planning authorities: Milton Keynes Partnership (MKP) and Milton Keynes Council (MKC). More about their responsibilities can be found on the Planning Powers page. The Local Plan and Proposals MapThis link opens in a new window    on MKC’s website provides more context about the plans for the growth of Milton Keynes.

Community engagement

MKP actively encourages early community engagement and pre-application consultation on proposed schemes. The Western and Eastern Expansion Area Stakeholder Groups which have been established by MKP for the growth areas on the flanks of the city comprise representatives from parish councils, town councils and elected members. They provide a forum for representation of local community interests and are the interface between the community, land-owner, developer, MKP and MKC. 

MKP sees the groups as valuable source of local information and will facilitate presentations by developers on their draft proposals to the groups prior to formal submission. Meeting dates are pre-arranged for the year and held in the evening to ensure maximum attendance. Information is sent out two weeks prior to the meeting and members are encouraged to disseminate information out into the community to obtain feedback.

MKP has worked with MKC on a Statement of Community InvolvementThis link opens in a new window    which includes a tool kit for effective community engagement.

The Urban Development Area (UDA) Place Making Group works alongside Milton Keynes Partnership, the local planning authority, in an advisory capacity, bringing together both local community and specialists to regularly review and appraise progress on UDA planning applications, particularly development briefs and design codes.  

Infrastructure Tariff

The Milton Keynes Infrastructure Tariff will provide the funding for strategic and local infrastructure to serve the new housing and employment areas within the expansion areas. The tariff has been incorporated into an overarching Framework Agreement to be used as a model for site-specific S106 agreements. Developers will pay £18,500 to Milton Keynes Partnership for each new house or around £67 for every square metre of commercial floorspace.

Development Control Manual

The Development Control Manual sets out the procedures followed by the MKP development control service. These procedures follow the statutory procedures for the processing of planning applications, but other procedures have also been introduced which advocate a development team approach, including early pre-application meetings and pre-submission consultations with stakeholders.  

Design Guide for New Housing Development

The Design Guide for New Housing DevelopmentThis link opens in a new window    has been produced jointly by MKC and MKP. The purpose of the guide is to raise the overall quality of residential development in Milton Keynes. It provides guidance on design for housing developments and solutions for many common design issues. The guide is a working document and will be used in the determination of planning applications.  

Downloadable forms

Developers submitting to MKP should use MKC forms, which can be found on MKC’s websiteThis link opens in a new window   

Submission of documents

Fifteen hard copies of planning applications are required, together with 10 copies on read-only CD-Rom. All the planning documents submitted by developers are published on our website in order to keep local residents informed and to ensure transparency. The detail contained in these documents can make them very large in terms of file size and we ask that they are sent to us in PDF format and no larger than 6MB so that users on slower connections are still able to download the files. This may mean that files have to be split into smaller parts, and / or compressed, as long as the content (particularly the drawings and plans) is still good quality.  

Making payment

Payment should be made by cheque, payable to Milton Keynes Partnership.