Making Milton Keynes a better place to live for everyone

By Milton Keynes Council…

Milton Keynes City Council wants to make Milton Keynes a thriving, progressive and sustainable city for everyone. Families living here should be able to lead heathy and happy lives. This year, as part of our work delivering hundreds of vital services, we hope to make progress on three major projects that will help us achieve that aim and I wanted to provide an update below.

Regenerating the Lakes Estate

A major regeneration programme of Serpentine Court in the Lakes Estate has been given the green light, following years of engagement with the local community. Since 2017, the City Council has been working with residents to determine the best approach for regeneration, and 93% of voters sought to demolish Serpentine Court and redevelop the estate. That is exactly what we seek to do, with plans to build almost 200 new council homes, a nursery, community centre and retail space in Serpentine Court’s place.

We have appointed builders to start on the site and hope to see movement soon, but in the meantime, we have been conducting wider public realm work including building four new play parks and improvements to courtyards. Regeneration is not just about building new homes; it’s about improving quality of life and this project will create a positive environment for local residents.

Creating a New City Plan

The City Council is in the process of writing its New City Plan, an important planning document that helps shape our long-term vision for Milton Keynes called the Strategy for 2050. The Strategy, which was finalised two years ago following extensive public consultation, sets out a bold and ambitious vision for Milton Keynes including equal opportunities, new jobs, affordable and ‘lifelong’ homes that suit people at all stages of their life, and a pioneering mass rapid transit system.

To help develop the plan, we are asking residents to tell us about their experiences of how they use their neighbourhood so we know what works and what could be better. A survey is running until 23rd February, where you will be asked questions such as whether you find it easy to shop, take children to school, enjoy green space, what changes would improve your physical and mental health, and what would make you more likely to use local facilities. You can find out more and help shape the New City Plan at www.mknewcityplan.commonplace.is

Developing a new centre for residents with complex needs

The City Council has invested £4m of funding it has received from housebuilding in a large and modern building for transformation into a dedicated centre for residents with complex disabilities.

Nestled on the outskirts of Linford Wood among surrounding woodland, Linford Wood Place will provide accommodation and care for vulnerable adults with a range of needs, bringing together the City Council’s short breaks and day services offer. For those adults that live at home with their families, overnight stays offer vital breaks for carers. Linford Wood Place will also have tailored activity spaces, dedicated areas for personal care, and a private garden. Works will begin on site this summer and will ultimately help us deliver an improved service with better facilities for the adults we support.

We want to make our city a better place to live, and we hope these works will help us achieve that. If you’d like to find out more information about what we’re doing locally, visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk.