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Milton Keynes City Council has removed developers’ automatic right to convert offices into residential units within the Central Business District (CBD) of Milton Keynes.
An ‘Article 4 Direction’ will come into effect from 8 October which will remove permitted development rights, meaning that applicants will now have to apply for planning permission to convert an office to residential use within the CBD.
This approach will give the City Council more control to make sure that new homes are of a high quality and that they comply with relevant Council planning policies.
Following consultation last year, Central Government has now approved the new Article 4 Direction.
“For too long, offices have been converted into homes that we as a local authority just wouldn’t approve. I’m pleased that we will now have this Direction in place, which will help us ensure that new homes built in Central Milton Keynes are high quality and meet all necessary regulations.”