MK City Plan 2050 – August 2025 update 

Following the consultation on the draft Milton Keynes City Plan 2050 (MKCP 2050) that took place between July and October 2024, we have been reviewing the comments received and updating and finalising our evidence base to shape the final draft MKCP 2050.  

We received around 7,000 comments on the Regulation 18 Plan and are continuing to work with stakeholders as the MKCP 2050 is being finalised. We are also checking and refining the proposed policies and allocations in the MKCP 2050. MKCP 2050 must be based on comprehensive and up to date evidence, and we cannot progress without this. As we are still awaiting completion of our transport modelling, we have had to reconsider the timings for the next stages.    

Previously we intended to consult on a final version of the MKCP 2050 between September and October 2025, before submitting the Plan for independent examination in March 2026. While the intended submission date has not changed, we are now planning to consult on the final draft MKCP 2050 between November and December 2025.  

A delegated decision to consider approving the final draft (Regulation 19) consultation and the subsequent submission of the MKCP is planned for 28 October 2025. Please see the Council’s Forward Plan for more information: Forward plan - Executive Decisions (including Key Decisions) (1 August 2025) Onwards | Milton Keynes City Council 

We consulted on the draft Milton Keynes City Plan 2050 (MKCP 2050) for a period of 12 weeks, from 17 July to 9 October at 5pm.

Thank you to everyone who responded. The consultation on the draft Milton Keynes City Plan 2050 is now closed. We really appreciate your feedback and will be considering all comments as we prepare the submission version of the Plan.

The consultation documents below are for reference only. The consultation closed on Wednesday 9 October. 

Local authorities such as Milton Keynes City Council must set out plans to provide more homes. Our aim is to get the right type of development in the right places to meet the growing needs of local people and businesses, while protecting our green spaces and rural areas. 

We want to make sure infrastructure is put first (such as health facilities, schools and shops). We want to ensure developers provide what communities need to benefit local people. We also want Milton Keynes to grow sustainably, tackling and reducing the impact of climate change. 

To do this, we create what’s called a local plan and review it every five years. Our current plan (Plan:MK) is now five years old, and we’ve been working to create a new plan to help deliver our ambitions for the future of MK.  

Our new plan, the MK City Plan 2050, is an important planning document that sets out how Milton Keynes will change and grow in the years ahead. It guides where future development should happen in the city until 2050, and where it shouldn’t in order to protect our environment.  

If we don’t produce a plan, we risk having very little influence over where new development happens and will not be able to take an infrastructure first approach. 

As part of the 12-week consultation on the Draft MKCP 2050, we invited people to tell us what they thought about the Draft Plan, and we also provided the opportunity for people to: 

• Tell us about their priorities for growth and infrastructure.
• Comment on our emerging Sustainability Appraisal through commenting on the Growth Strategy Chapter of the MKCP 2050 (questions 1-4 and 13-20). 
• Promote a site to the Council as part of our ‘Call for Sites’.  

Thank you to all of those who responded and provided feedback. We will now review the responses received and consider them in the preparation of the submission version of the Plan.

Making comments

Writing the Plan involves extensive evidence gathering, public consultations and joint working with neighbouring authorities and partners. Along with the evidence that we have gathered, the views you have submitted through previous consultations have helped us shape the MK City Plan 2050 that is emerging. The approach to public engagement taken by us in developing the Local Plan is set out in our Statement of Community Involvement. The plan will also need to meet the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 

What is the wider Planning Context?

To understand what a Local Plan is please watch this video by the Planning Inspectorate.

For some useful national planning context, please view this series of Fact Sheets relating to new homes and regeneration published by Homes England (the government's housing and regeneration agency).

Evidence Base and Topic Papers

A key component of the Local Plan is the evidence base. We have undertaken a number of different studies, including the Sustainability Appraisal to inform the development of the draft MK City Plan 2050. All policies in the plan must be based on evidence to ensure that they are sound. 

• To read our evidence based documents click here.
• To read our topic papers click here.
• To read our sustainability appraisal click here.
• To read our other consultation documents, including the draft plan and policies maps, click here. 

Physical copies and alternative formats of the MK City Plan 2050

If you need any of the consultation documents in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille, or if you find another accessibility problem, please email ncp.engagement@milton-keynes.gov.uk or telephone 01908 252358. 

If you need this in hard copy or another format, please contact the city council at: ncp.engagement@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

Thank you very much to everyone who takes the time to respond to the consultation.

Next Steps:

We intend to consult on a final version of the MK City Plan 2050 in 2025. We then intend to submit the plan to the Secretary of State for examination in public by the end of March 2026. If and when adopted, the MK City Plan 2050 will replace Plan:MK.

• Guide the development and use of land in Milton Keynes up to 2050
• Address the needs of our growing population.