Developers present plans for their part of 5,000 home new community at ‘Milton Keynes East’

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Developers have presented plans for the majority of a new 5,000 home community to the east of the M1.

The plans for MK East, a triangular piece of land to the south of Newport Pagnell and west of Moulsoe, include a new bridge over the M1 to link the urban extension to MK city centre.

“The Berkeley Group are very excited about bringing forward proposals to create a new neighbourhood for Milton Keynes East,” said Ashley Spearing, the company’s development director.

“We are passionate about placemaking and creating places and spaces which are landscape-led, which build community and connect people and nature.”

The Berkeley Group is responsible for development in 80 per cent of MK East, about 4,000 homes and made a presentation to a meeting on Monday February 1, 2021.

Bloor Homes owns about 20 per cent of the land and the two companies are in talks about their own plans, MK Council’s development review forum heard.

A planning application is yet to be submitted for the massive new development but the forum meets to allow the developers to get feedback on designs at a pre-application stage.

Architects for the Berkeley Group part of the new development area presented plans to create a new linear nature park around the river and interweave homes with green spaces in a lattice style, retaining hedgerows and trees.

It was described as bringing the countryside into the community.

Those include plans for a woodland buffer for Moulsoe, which was named Moulsoe New Wood, a 20 acre development to include orchards and allotments.

Cllr John Bint (Cons, Broughton) said: “I think we have to recognise that this development is almost the size of Newport Pagnell, not quite as big in terms of dwellings, but it’s going to be fairly close.”

He added: “I do have to say on behalf of my ward residents I continue to be nervous about the impact of all these people trying to join H3, H4, H5 and H6 through my ward and past my existing residents so I hope that’s factored in the modelling.”

Cllr Phil Winsor, of Newport Pagnell Town Council, said he is “heartened” by what he had heard.

“All the issues that we had flagged up in previous months have been taken on board,” he said. “Well done, it’s a starter for 10.”

But he said he was concerned about the piece of land owned by Bloor Homes not being a part of the presentation.

Mr Spearing said they were working with Bloor Homes to create a “joined up place”.

The meeting also discussed worries about possible flooding, which the developers said was being assessed.

Mr Spearing said a consultation is being started, with ward councillors this week and next week, followed by parish councils and town councils and other interested parties.

This would be followed by a wider public consultation with a newsletter drop to around 11,500 people with a 20-page brochure.