Statement on Proposed New Town Development in Milton Keynes North

I know this is an issue many residents feel strongly about, and rightly so. Milton Keynes has always been a city shaped by growth, but the real question is whether that growth is done well, with the homes, jobs, schools, healthcare, roads, green spaces and community facilities people need.

I want to be clear first about the role of the New Towns Taskforce and the process now underway.

The New Towns Taskforce was established in 2024 as an independent expert group to advise the Government on how a new generation of well-designed, sustainable communities can be delivered. That includes where they should be located, what infrastructure they require, and how they can support economic growth and housing need.

As part of that work, the Taskforce developed a shortlist of locations for new and expanded communities, well placed to boost economic growth and deliver new homes. Milton Keynes was included on that list.

As a result, three areas are being considered in and around Milton Keynes as areas of opportunity for further development. These include the potential for a new urban neighbourhood in Central Milton Keynes, the continued expansion of MK East, and a proposal for expansion north of Milton Keynes.

I support Milton Keynes being part of the New Towns programme because this city has been growing quickly for many years. Last year, we were growing faster than anywhere else in the country. The question is not whether Milton Keynes grows, but whether we shape that growth properly, or whether we let it happen without the infrastructure and ambition our communities deserve.

Milton Keynes has a strong record of delivering infrastructure alongside development. On Milton Keynes East, a new school and health centre have gone in before a single person has moved onto the estate. On Whitehouse, a new health centre has been delivered with community diagnostic facilities, alongside multiple new schools and play parks, a community centre, millions of pounds of new road infrastructure, and more.

But I also believe the housebuilding we have seen here now requires more coordinated support, more investment, and a much more serious support from central Government. Being part of the New Towns programme gives us the chance to go further.

As part of this process I am talking to government about bringing back a development corporation for Milton Keynes, with the power, funding and the leadership to shape future development. This will give us the chance to return to the ideals on which Milton Keynes was originally built: proper planning, good design, green space, decent roads, good jobs, and homes that ordinary families can afford.

In a city where more than 1,000 families are living in temporary accommodation, I also believe we have a moral responsibility to maximise the number of affordable homes. This must be central to any future development, and it is also one of the principles behind the New Towns programme.

On the specific proposal north of Linford Lakes, I have been clear about my position. When I looked at the proposal submitted as part of the local plan process, I did not believe it provided the level of infrastructure needed to meet the principles I have set out above. That is why I opposed its inclusion in the local plan. The local plan is now going through the final stages of approval and does not contain the northern site.

If, in future, a proposal came forward that genuinely provided the infrastructure required, then of course it would need to be considered on its merits. But that is not currently the case.

I know there have been some questions created around the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the council and developers. Milton Keynes City Council passed a motion to commit to engaging with the New Towns process - because if our city leadership is not part of the discussions, we cannot ask for the things our city needs. The MOU commits all developers and the council to working in residents' best interests, fundamentally asking developers to consider the wider needs and ambitions of a city as a whole beyond their individual sites. It is not a commitment that any proposal will be automatically supported without the necessary infrastructure, it is asking for a commitment from developers to act for the benefit of Milton Keynes.

I will finish by saying this. I am not going to be a politician who pretends Milton Keynes can or should stop growing. The city was built here in the 1960s because there was huge demand for housing in this area. That demand remains today.

I could, like some of my predecessors, spend my time opposing any and all development here while taking money off developers in Westminster. But as far as I can see, that approach never stopped Milton Keynes from growing or led to a us not building homes here. What it did do was lead us to miss opportunities to secure the infrastructure needed to support that growth.

I want to take a different approach. I want to fight for infrastructure before expansion. I want growth that is planned, not chaotic. I want homes that people can afford, roads that work, schools and healthcare that keep pace, and green spaces that remain part of what makes Milton Keynes special.

I will continue to engage closely with residents, the council and developers as these proposals progress, and I will keep pressing for the right outcomes for our community. I will also be looking to meet with local residents and parish councillors in the coming months to hear directly what matters most to them as we consider the future growth of Milton Keynes.