Future Plans

Since designation in 1967, Milton Keynes has continued to grow and is now home to over 200,000 people.

The Government's Sustainable Communities Plan (2003) recognised that Milton Keynes has the potential to become a major regional centre in the heart of England - a city of some 350,00 people. Milton Keynes Partnership was established in June 2004 to help bring forward the sustainable growth of Milton Keynes.

The Government asked Milton Keynes Partnership to prepare a long-term vision for the new city which would help guide the growth of Milton Keynes and also ensure that the implications of that growth are firmly rooted in regional plans and strategies. A long-term vision for Milton Keynes was developed through the MK 2031 project. The Strategy for Growth, completed in June 2006, looks far enough ahead to provide a platform for major economic and cultural development and also takes into account the qualitative and quantitative changes required in education, health and social care alongside major physical infrastructure. This work has provided a robust description of how the growth of Milton Keynes would make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the South East Region of England.

Milton Keynes' future growth will be guided by the South East Regional Spatial Strategy (the RSS). The draft RSS was published in 2006 and, following public consultation, was subject to an Examination in Public heard by a Panel of experts. The Strategy for Growth was submitted to the Panel in June 2006 and was used to inform the debate on Milton Keynes. The Panel completed their work in March 2007 and will submit a report of their recommendations to the Government Office of the South East by 31 July 2007. The Government Office expects to issue any proposed alterations and modifications to the RSS, and to consult on them, in autumn 2007. You can track the progress of the Regional Spatial Strategy by visiting the GOSE website. The submissions considered by the Examination in Public can be viewed on the EIP website.

MK2031 involved five Local Authorities, local communities within Milton Keynes and the surrounding rural areas in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, voluntary organisations, statutory providers and private-sector businesses. The MK2031 project brief was approved in December 2004 and the work was completed at the end of June 2006. It was undertaken by a team of consultants led by GVA Grimley which included EDAW, ECOTEC and Atkins. The four stages of the project are set out on the MK2031 page and all documents relating to it can be seen on the MK2031 documents page.