Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) was a development corporation operating from 1967 to 1992 oversee the planning and early development of Milton Keynes, then a planned new town midway between London and Birmingham.
Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) was a development corporation operating from 1967 to 1992 oversee the planning and early development of Milton Keynes, then a planned new town midway between London and Birmingham.
MKDC was established on 23 January 1967 to provide the vision and execution of a "new city" that would be the modern interpretation of the garden city movement concepts first expressed by Ebenezer Howard 60 years earlier. [1] [2] It was headquartered in Wavendon Tower, in the village of Wavendon on the eastern edge of the city.
Situated in the north of Buckinghamshire near the borders with Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, it would be a "city in the trees" –the planning guideline for residential areas outside Central Milton Keynes was "no building higher than the highest tree" – at a time when multi-storey flats and office blocks were dominating the redevelopment of most inner city areas and many large towns. [3] [4] [lower-alpha 1]
The aims that MKDC set out in The Plan for Milton Keynes implied that the designers would learn from the mistakes made in the earlier new towns and build a city that people would be proud to call their home. [6] On that date, the area within the designated area was home to some 40,000 people in the existing towns and villages. [7] It was placed where it would have a direct motorway (the M1) and rail link (the West Coast Main Line) with the capital city, London, and the second city Birmingham; both 50–60 miles away.
Following publication of the Draft Master Plan for Milton Keynes, [8] the government appointed Lord Campbell of Eskan ("Jock" Campbell) to chair the board of the new Development Corporation. For the critical local consultation period, Walter Ismay became the corporation's first Chief Executive. The Board invited as consultants Richard Llewellyn Davies and partners, who produced the overall development plan, [9] with its grid pattern of distributor roads at roughly 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) intervals. When the planning enquiries were over, it was time for a different type of CEO and Fred Roche took over in 1970. Llewellyn Davies, with colleagues Walter Bor, John de Monchaux and Sue de Monchaux continued to contribute to the development of strategy., [10]
In 1980, Frank Henshaw took over from Fred Roche. [11] Lord Campbell was succeeded by Sir Henry Chilver in 1983. [12]
MKDC promoted the Homeworld 81 exhibition in 1981, thirty-six houses showcasing "the latest developments in housing from international designers, architects and builders", [13] and Energy World, a demonstration project of 51 low-energy houses completed in 1986.
The Government wound up MKDC in 1992 after 25 years, transferring control to the Commission for New Towns, latterly part of English Partnerships, which subsequently merged with the Housing Corporation to become the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Control over design passed to Milton Keynes Partnership which remained a major landowner in the city. Design criteria became more similar to those being applied by the HCA on sites it owned across the country. Public parks were transferred to the Milton Keynes Parks Trust, a registered charity. [14]
Milton Keynes is a city in Buckinghamshire, England, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms the northern boundary of the urban area; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
The City of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area with both borough and city status, in Buckinghamshire. It is the northernmost district of the South East England Region. The borough abuts Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and the remainder of Buckinghamshire.
Woughton is a civil parish in south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish council uses the term Community Council.
Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of the city, and is split between the civil parishes of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley. In 2011, the two parishes had a combined population of 37,114.
Water Eaton is an area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. It is to the south of Fenny Stratford and contiguous with it. It is one of the ancient Buckinghamshire villages that became incorporated as part of Milton Keynes in 1967.
Wavendon is a village and civil parish in the south east of the Milton Keynes urban area, in Buckinghamshire, England.
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Milton Keynes and surrounding parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire (England). The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast intercity services, and by West Midlands Trains regional services.
Stadium MK is a football stadium in the Denbigh district of Bletchley in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Designed by Populous and opened in 2007, it is the home ground of EFL League Two side Milton Keynes Dons and FA Women's National League South side Milton Keynes Dons Women. In 2022, the stadium hosted several matches during the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.
In January 2004, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced the United Kingdom government's Expansion plans for Milton Keynes. However, the change of government in 2010 and the abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategy in 2012/13 saw these plans revoked and a planned expansion of up to 44,000 dwellings reduced to 28,000. The Milton Keynes Core Strategy was published in July 2013 and regards the figure of 28,000 new homes to be the minimum figure.
The Central Milton Keynes shopping area is a regional shopping centre located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England which is about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. It comprises two adjacent shopping centres, thecentre:mk which opened in 1979, and Midsummer Place opened in 2000. The centre:mk is anchored by John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. The complex is the 14th largest shopping centre in the UK, with the size of 120,773 sq metres.
This history of Milton Keynes details its development from the earliest human settlements, through the plans for a 'new city' for 250,000 people in northern Southeast England, its subsequent urban design and development, to the present day. Milton Keynes, founded in 1967, is the largest settlement and only city in Buckinghamshire. At the 2021 census, the population of its urban area was estimated to have exceeded 256,000.
Richard Llewelyn-Davies, Baron Llewelyn-Davies, was a British architect and life peer.
The Stables is a music venue situated in Wavendon, a small village in south-east Milton Keynes. The Stables hosts over 400 concerts and around 250 education events a year including the National Youth Music Camps which take place over the summer.
Buses in Milton Keynes are run by a mixture of operators on a network of urban and rural routes in and around the Milton Keynes urban area. These services have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation in 1986. Since April 2010 the core local services have been provided by Arriva Shires & Essex. Long-distance coach services also serve MK, often via the Milton Keynes Coachway located near junction 14 of the M1 motorway.
Wimbledon Football Club relocated to Milton Keynes in September 2003, 16 months after receiving permission to do so from the Football Association on the basis of a two-to-one decision in favour by an FA-appointed independent commission. The move took the team from south London, where it had been based since its foundation in 1889, to Milton Keynes, a new town in Buckinghamshire, about 56 miles (90 km) to the northwest of the club's traditional home district Wimbledon. Hugely controversial, the move's authorisation prompted disaffected Wimbledon supporters to form AFC Wimbledon, a new club, on 30 May 2002. The relocated team played home matches in Milton Keynes under the Wimbledon name from September 2003 until June 2004, when following the end of the 2003–04 season it renamed itself Milton Keynes Dons F.C..
York Hospital is a teaching hospital in York, England. It is managed by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, an NHS Foundation Trust which also runs several other hospitals in North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, including Scarborough Hospital, Bridlington Hospital and Malton Community Hospital.
Frederick Lloyd Roche, CBE, was a British architect who worked on the programme of new towns in the United Kingdom. He was Chief Architect of Runcorn Development Corporation from 1965 to 1970 and General Manager of the Milton Keynes Development Corporation from 1970 to 1981. In 1985, he was appointed a CBE.
Walter George Bor CBE was an Austrian-born British town planner and architect who was influential in the development of new towns in the UK and elsewhere in the second half of the twentieth century.
Mark Clapson is a British social and cultural historian specialising in suburban history, the Blitz and working-class history. As of 2017, he is professor of social and cultural history at the University of Westminster.
Milton Keynes Civic Offices is a municipal building in Saxon Gate, Milton Keynes, a city in Buckinghamshire, in England. It accommodates the offices and meeting place of Milton Keynes City Council.
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