Milton Keynes City Council has been shortlisted for two awards in the New Statesmen’s inaugural ‘Positive Impact Awards’ which celebrates organisations working to create lasting change.
The City Council has been shortlisted for the ‘Positive Impact on the Environment’ award for its Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and ‘Positive Impact on Transport’ through its demand-responsive transport system (DRT), MK Connect.
The SPD sets out guidance for developers so they can better understand the strict sustainability standards for zero carbon homes and commercial buildings in MK. As much as 40% of the UK’s energy-related carbon emissions comes from the construction industry, but MK City Council’s current standards already require new developments to be built far more sustainably.
Earlier this year, the same policy was awarded with ‘Best Plan’ and ‘Best in Region’ at the Royal Town Planning Institute South East Region Awards.
The ‘Positive Impact on Transport’ award is for the City Council’s DRT service, MK Connect, which replaced underused subsided bus services last year. It’s the biggest service of its kind in the UK and was introduced in Milton Keynes as other councils were cutting subsidised public transport entirely, with an estimated 134 million miles of bus routes cut nationally in the last decade.
MK Connect is aimed at residents who aren’t served by an existing bus route and don’t have access to other means of transport. Vehicles are shared by passengers heading the same way, with pickups typically within a couple of hundred metres of the passenger’s home.
The New Statesman Positive Impact Awards will take place on 6 December.
“We’re proud to be shortlisted for another set of awards for these projects which is a testament to the work we’re doing in MK to deliver well planned growth and renewal across the city. We’ll continue our work to ensure that we’re delivering the best services for our residents and leading by example on climate action and sustainable transport.”