Milton Keynes : the basics

Planning and Building Milton Keynes

New Towns

Following the example of people like Robert Owen (New Lanark) and the Cadburys (Bourneville), Ebenezer Howard suggested a way of giving people better living and working conditions through the idea of garden cities. Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City aimed to combine the best of “town” and “country”. By relieving the pressures on older cities, this would greatly benefit their inhabitants and workers as well. The post-war reforming government passed the New Towns Act in 1946 in the hope of achieving these aims and in the process house the increasing population (especially after the devastation caused by the war), regenerate some of the older declining industrial areas of the country, and cater for larger economic and social plans.

The Designation of Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is one of the last and largest of the 32 new towns built under the 1946 Act. It was designated on 23 January 1967 to act as a regional growth area for the south east, and to relieve the pressures on the south of the country (Buckinghamshire). After the public enquiry about 34 square miles of a largely declining rural area were designated. A government appointed Development Corporation (MKDC) was set up with the task of laying out and securing the development of a town with jobs and homes for up to 250,000 (since reduced to about 210,000) by the early 1990s.

Milton Keynes in 1967

40,000 people lived within the area in 3 towns and 13 villages. Stony Stratford was an old coaching town along the A5. Wolverton was a private enterprise new town of the last century – one of the world’s first railway towns. Bletchley grew up for a variety of reasons along the A5 and railway line, but began to expand after the Town Development Act of 1952 (leading to an increase of 20,000 people). Most of the 13 villages (including the one whose name was chosen for the new town) were recorded in Domesday Book.

The Plan for Milton Keynes

MKDC appointed consultants (Llewellyn-Davies, Weeks, Forestier-Walker and Bor) to draw up a very flexible plan. This was accepted as a basis for development. In physical terms it used a grid pattern of roads enclosing dispersed land uses at roughly one kilometre intervals. Low density, low rise and multi-centredness were the keys. At that time full employment, cheap energy, and increasing affluence and social aspirations were thought to demand accommodation for the motor car and increased living and leisure space. Of equal importance was an emphasis on conservation and good landscape design.

The Development Process

The plan for the first 10 years involved using the facilities in the old towns to help build a crescent between Stony Stratford/Wolverton and Bletchley. The new city centre would be built in the middle. Then to gradually develop through in-filling, and planning whole districts. Structure plans for individual grid squares were evolved. Finally detailed design briefs were drawn up for individual sites. All these various plans had to be approved by the government of the day.

In the early years a great deal of the finance for this development came by way of loans from the government which have now been repaid.

Communications

Grid roads were laid down as single carriageways with reservations for later dualling if necessary (several have already been converted). They do not have urban speed limits, and are generally not fronted by buildings. Connections are made at roundabouts. Inside grid squares there are local roads with an urban speed limit; there is usually one spine or distributor for each area.

The Redway system (3 metre wide red tarmac) is designed for cyclists and pedestrians, and crosses grid roads at a separate level.

The new City is served by 3 railway stations on the London-Birmingham railway line.

All new housing is connected to a cable system for telephone, radio and television.

The Landscape

Clay and water are the dominant elements and, because of this, flooding has always been a problem. A series of rivers and streams, mainly along the Loughton and Ouzel valleys, flows north into the River Great Ouse. Around 1800 the Grand Union Canal was constructed. In addition, there were three old areas of woodland (largely in bad condition), together with hedgerows and trees (the most prominent species being almost exterminated by Dutch elm disease).

Within this setting MKDC developed strings of linear parks punctuated by beads of activities. To control flooding a number of storm water balancing lakes were constructed.

Bite-size history

• Milton Keynes is the largest of 32 new towns created in Britain and Northern Ireland since 1946
• Designated (that is, officially created) on 23 January 1967
• The name was taken from the smallest of the 13 medieval villages that were enclosed in the boundaries of the newtown. 
•  Technically Milton Keynes is not (yet!) a City but has adopted the term for marketing purposes - a City holds a Royal Charter.
• In 1967 the population in the Milton Keynes area was 40,000 and included the towns of Bletchley, Wolverton and Stony Stratford and 13 villages that dated back to the medieval period.
• Original new town area covered 9000 hectares (the area now covered by the Milton Keynes Council is 30,869 hectares)
• Original target population was 250,000 by early years of 21st century.
• The original assumption was that most people moving to Milton Keynes would be drawn from the list of those waiting for council housing in London.
• To coordinate the development of MK, the Government appointed the Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) - a board of directors answerable only to the Secretary of State.
• The MKDC were given special powers including comprehensive planning powers and the right to acquire land compulsorily if required. The MKDC were wound up in 1992.
•  The master plan for Milton Keynes was drawn up by Llewellyn-Davies Weeks Forestier-Walker and Bor and was produced in 1969 and accepted in 1970
• An early plan to build a new city based on a mono-rail public transport system was abandoned in the second year of planning.
• Instead, Milton Keynes would be a city which met the needs of an increasingly car owning population.

Move to Milton Keynes 1066 to 1966

Move to Objectives for Milton Keynes