As Milton Keynes prepares to deliver approximately 40,000 new homes under the UK Government’s revitalised New Towns Programme, Community Action: MK is working to ensure that physical growth is matched by early investment in social infrastructure, community spaces, and local voices.
1. Milton Keynes as a Priority ‘Renewed Town’
Milton Keynes has officially been designated as a priority ‘Renewed Town’ within the UK Government’s national New Towns Programme. Recommended by the national New Towns Taskforce and reaffirmed by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, this designation places Milton Keynes at the heart of strategic growth across the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor. Current proposals target the delivery of approximately 40,000 new homes across three core growth sectors: Central Milton Keynes (urban densification), East of the M1 expansion, and developer-led expansion in MK North.
While new housing handovers and major transport links are crucial, historical evidence from other New Towns and previous growth phases demonstrates a clear lesson: housing alone does not make a community. Physical infrastructure must be accompanied by robust social infrastructure including community development workers, walkable high streets, accessible public transport, multi-use community spaces, and vibrant voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) support networks from Phase 1 of development.
2. Translating Grassroots Dialogue into Strategic Evidence
To bridge the gap between residents and decision-makers, Community Action: MK (CA:MK) established the New Towns Community Intelligence Database. This repository captures everyday conversations, structured focus groups, and observational field notes across Milton Keynes neighbourhoods.
Our latest Community Intelligence Report synthesises 184 conversation and staff observation records. This dataset is growing all the time with data from the Community Action: MK team, and from other VCSE organisations who are keen to share their information with us. We will be preparing monthly insight reports to provide direct, qualitative evidence to government advisors, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) New Towns Unit, and Milton Keynes City Council, advocating for master planning to be grounded in the lived reality of local residents.
3. Lived Experience Insights Across Local Neighbourhoods
Key findings from our recent consultations highlight critical priority areas across three core themes:
- Active Travel & Redway Maintenance: Milton Keynes’ iconic Redway network is overwhelmingly valued by residents for safe walking and cycling (as noted in Shenley and Glebe Farm). However, residents in Whitehouse report safety hazards due to glass debris and punctures, while Eagle Farm residents emphasize the need to extend Redways continuously across estate boundaries to prevent disjointed connectivity.
- Commercial Phasing & Gathering Places: Delays in commercial amenities create severe early social isolation. In Whitehouse, a promised local supermarket has remained undelivered since 2019. Consultation feedback shows a strong community preference for walkable ‘high street’ parades featuring retail, cafes, pharmacies, and post offices over isolated retail warehouses.
- Public Transit Accessibility & Multi-Generational Support: In newer estates, bus stops placed on outer peripheries force elderly residents and grandparent carers into arduous 15-minute walks. Meanwhile, young people face a severe deficit of dedicated youth clubs and mentoring support, leading to isolation.
4. Key Strategic Events & Milestones
CA:MK is hosting a series of key milestone events to align political leaders, voluntary sector partners, and community members around our social infrastructure vision:
MP & Councillor Political Briefing (September 2026): Bringing together local MPs and Milton Keynes City Council leaders to present community intelligence data.
National VCSE New Towns Conference (Late February 2027): A flagship national conference convened by CA:MK at the Open University, bringing together Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs), the VCSE and officials from designated New Town sites across England.
5. How Your Organisation Can Get Involved
Local voluntary and community organisations hold trusted relationships with residents and hear the everyday conversations that quantitative surveys miss. To help organisations capture and structure these conversations, CA:MK has launched the Community Insight Toolkit (September 2026).
The toolkit provides practical methods—including question prompt cards across Housing, Transport, and Social Infrastructure, voice recording protocols, visual capture boards, and post-conversation notes—to turn everyday discussions into influential policy evidence.
Take Action Today:
Download the Community Insight Toolkit and share anonymised conversation logs with Community Action: MK. Your insights directly shape our monthly intelligence reports submitted to the New Towns Unit and local planners.
Contact: Clare Walton, Community Action: MK
Email: newtowns@communityactionmk.org | Phone: 01908 661 623