MK City Plan 2050: Previous stages

Introduction

Local authorities like Milton Keynes City Council must set out plans to provide more homes and infrastructure (such as health facilities, schools and shops) to meet the growing needs of local people and businesses, while protecting our green spaces and rural areas. 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, and our current plan (Plan:MK) is now five years old. Therefore, we have been working to create a new plan, the MK City Plan 2050 (MKCP 2050) to help deliver our ambitions for the future of MK, and now the MKCP 2050 is almost here.

Producing the draft MKCP 2050 has been an iterative process. We have sought local feedback through periodic consultation activities since 2023, and the most recent engagement, the Regulation 18 consultation, took place between July and October 2024, garnering over 7,000 comments to help us to produce a final version of the plan. This final submission version was then released for stakeholder feedback around 'soundness' as part of the Regulation 19 consultation. Once this process was complete, the Draft MK City Plan 2050 is to be refined and submitted for examination by a Planning Inspector.

Draft MK City Plan 2050 Regulation 19 Consultation

On Friday 7 November 2025, Milton Keynes City Council launched the Regulation 19 Consultation to gather feedback on the final draft of the MK City Plan 2050. The consultation originally closed on 22 December 2025 at 5:30pm. However, due to a technical issue, some people did not receive the notification email at the start of the consultation.

To ensure everyone had a fair chance to take part, we reopened the consultation for another six weeks. This additional consultation began on 5 January and ran to 16 February 2026, closing at 5:30pm.

Representations were made via the Regulation 19 Consultation Platform and were to be received by 5:30pm on Monday 16 February 2026; the relevant consultation documents were as follows:

Physical copies of the plan (and the documents listed above), Response Forms, and a Guidance Note were made available in libraries across the Borough listed below during opening hours:

Central Milton Keynes Library
Bletchley Library
Kingston Library
Newport Pagnell Library
Olney Library
Stony Stratford Library
Westcroft Library
Woburn Sands Library
Wolverton Library
Woughton Library

Library opening hours were viewable here.

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 submitted through previous consultations have helped us to 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.

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 any of the consultation documents were needed in a different format likea hard copy, accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille, or if you find another accessibility problem, the option was made available to email ncp.engagement@milton-keynes.gov.uk or telephone 01908 252358.

Draft MK City Plan 2050 Regulation 18 Consultation

On Monday 17th July 2024, we launched the MK City Plan 2050 Regulation 18 Consultation. This was a 12-week formal consultation to gather feedback from local communities and stakeholders on the draft policies, aims and objectives informed by local feedback and evidence-based documents.

The consultation documents published for the Regulation 18 Consultation can be viewed below:

Regulation 18 Policies Maps:

Milton Keynes City Council Gypsy and Travellers Call for Sites

During this period, we received around 7,000 comments which were used to inform the creation of a final draft version of the plan.

A New Design Code for Milton Keynes: MK Design Code Scoping Consultation

Prior to the Regulation 18 Consultation, we consulted the public and other stakeholders to seek your views on the preparation of the City’s Design Codes.

Design codes provide a local framework for creating beautiful and distinctive places with a consistent and high-quality standard of design. Design codes are set to become part of all local authority development plans, in line with national planning policy.

The MK Design Code will be produced alongside the MK City Plan 2050. The MK Design Code will be an important tool to help achieve these ambitions. It is an opportunity to identify the key design challenges we face when trying to achieve the ambition and objectives for the MK City Plan 2050 and address these through clear design standards.

A non-statutory consultation of the ‘A New Design Code for Milton Keynes: MK Design Code Scoping Consultation’ document will give the public and stakeholders a chance to comment and have their say on the approach we propose to take and on what our MK Design Code should include.

With the MK Design Code being in the early stages of preparation, this consultation is the first opportunity to get involved and shape the scope and direction of our MK Design Code from the very beginning.

View the 'A New Design Code for Milton Keynes: MK Design Code Scoping Consultation’. Comments were received received by 5pm on Friday 19 January 2024.

People Friendly and Healthy Places Survey

We have published a survey asking people to tell us how they use their local neighbourhood, such as whether they find it easy to shop, take children to school, and enjoy green space; what changes would improve their mental and physical health; and what would make them more likely to use local facilities. It ran until 23 February 2024

By providing most people's everyday needs and access to essential services within a short walk, wheel, cycle, or scoot of their homes, we can increase convenience and help people to lead more social and healthier lives.

This can reduce dependence on private cars, although some people rely on using a car, for instance people with disabilities, or to reach destinations out of the neighbourhood for work, leisure, and other reasons.

Click to take part in the survey - this has now closed

Call for Sites consultation

As part of the plan preparation process Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are expected to put out a Call for Sites. This process is an opportunity for landowners, site promoters, those with development interests, and communities to suggest possible sites to the Council that may be suitable for development.

After submission, each site's suitability, availability, and achievability was assessed and a summary of these assessments and the process followed have been published as part of the Land Availability Assessment (LAA).

The sites listed in the above document were the result of multiple rounds of consultation. An initial Call for Sites between Wednesday 23 February 2022 and Wednesday 20 April 2022. The Call for Sites was then re-opened the in early 2023 following the launch of the PlaceMaker tool, this remained open until the start of June 2024 . The final Call for Sites Consultation re-opened during the Regulation 18 consultation, which was a 12-week consultation launched on Monday 17th July 2024.

Ambition and Objectives and Sustainability Appraisal Scoping consultation

Milton Keynes City Council held a consultation on the Ambition & Objectives of the MK City Plan 2050; as well as on the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping report. The consultation was open between 9am on Tuesday 31 January 2023 and 5pm on Thursday 16 March 2023.

Milton Keynes City Council is now considering the submissions it received during the consultation period and this page will be updated with further information in due course. Many thanks to all residents and organisations who took the time to share their thoughts.

The consultation documents remain available below, but the Council cannot accept any further submissions as this consultation has closed.

Consultation documents

01908 252358

Civic, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes MK9 3EJ