Milton Keynes A Hotbed of UK Construction?

Whatever your perception, Milton Keynes is more than a town of concrete cows and roundabouts.

It’s almost 50 years since Milton Keynes was constructed, and a major new mixed-use development has been agreed for the centre of the town. Interestingly Milton Keynes has never officially received the accolade title of city despite applying several times; but locals refer to it as a city.

Milton Keynes was built in the 1960s as a ‘new town’ to take London’s overspill. The location was chosen as it was roughly equidistant from London, Birmingham, Leicester, Oxford and Cambridge.

Its original design considered the Grand Union Canal around which it is built and the M1 to its east as a major means of access. Much of the local flood plains were also taken into consideration in its original design to incorporate plenty of parklands.

Now the Milton Keynes Development Partnership has confirmed their development partner for the 15 acre mixed-use project at Campbell Park at Canalside is Crest Nicholson Regeneration. The investment for this project is £88 million.

Construction to Start in 2016

The timeline for the construction of this project is scheduled for the end of 2016 / early 2017. Crest Nicholson’s proposals have received a warm reception from the Milton Keynes Development Partnership and its partners. Of course there are still the finer details to be developed and agreed but the essential plan will include 300 new homes for the city plus convenient amenities such as a general convenience store, a nursery, a pub, a restaurant and a café.

Transport Links

While the transport links have always been good with Milton Keynes’ proximity to the MI, and being well served with three rail stations, there has always been an underlying plan to develop connections via the Grand Union Canal.

To move these forward, the proposal includes a 100 berth Marina on the Campbell Park site. This is intended to kick-start the Bedford/Milton Keynes Canal link which has been under consideration for many years.

The Grand Union Canal runs from London to Birmingham. The proposed development would eventually connect Milton Keynes to the Great Ouse in Bedford crossing the M1 on its way. So the proposed marina is just a starting point.

Top Place to Work

With Milton Keynes named one of the top places to work and live in the UK in a recent survey undertaken by TotallyMoney.com, this development should offer additional housing and of course add to job opportunities in the UK construction and engineering industries.

If you want to get on the band wagon, check out the opportunities for quantity surveyors, project managers, planners and engineers in the UK construction industry here. Make sure you upload your CV to this site so that we have your details to hand for future reference too.

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Steve Thomas
Director - Hong Kong & UK Construction Recruitment Specialist
Maxim Recruitment