Cllr Marland and Paul Smits, Managing Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties at the Whitehouse development
Milton Keynes has exceeded its housebuilding targets set by central government for a fifth consecutive year. More than 11,300 homes have been built in the city over the past five years, with more than 3,000 built in the last year alone. Almost 500 of these homes are affordable.
This means Milton Keynes has comfortably delivered this year’s annual government goal of 1,766 homes, building 175% of its target.
While Milton Keynes is leading the way in housebuilding, the City Council is determined to ensure that infrastructure such as schools and medical facilities come first to support both new and existing communities.
Leader of MK City Council, Cllr Pete Marland visited Whitehouse Park where developer Bellway is building nearly 600 homes. Once completed, the wider area in Whitehouse will have over 4,000 new homes along with green open spaces and play areas.
The development at Whitehouse is a prime example of where MK City Council is guaranteeing that communities are provided with the necessary infrastructure that residents rely on. Watling Academy and Whitehouse Primary schools have already been built, with Watling Primary due to open in September.
The state-of-the-art Whitehouse Health Centre, which the City Council has invested over £12m in so far, opened its doors in 2021. The services provided from the Centre will be able to meet the health needs of up to 22,000 patients.
Last year MK City Council secured over £70m for similar infrastructure projects through developer contributions.
“These numbers are encouraging and a testament to the great city that we are. It’s critical that we hit these targets as it protects our city from speculative developments and helps us deliver much needed family homes. We need to see a higher number of affordable homes being built which we’ll continue to encourage and enforce.
“It’s not always been the case that councils agree homes in areas with no nearby schools or other facilities. In Milton Keynes, we’re determined to ensure that communities are able to make the most of their new surroundings by putting in necessary infrastructure first. I look forward to continuing our work to deliver sustainable growth in our city where everyone has a fair opportunity to do well.”
“It was great to welcome the leader of MK City Council, Cllr Pete Marland, to our Whitehouse Park development on Thursday. Cllr Marland got to see first-hand the ongoing works and five-star build quality Bellway is known for, and it was our pleasure to host the visit.
“Whitehouse Park will be a flagship development and deliver much-needed private and affordable housing to Milton Keynes, with 175 new homes being delivered in the first phase, and a further 417 properties across two further phases. Along with our new homes, Whitehouse Park will be part of a wider new neighbourhood which sees the creation of a primary school, an academy and a surgery, thanks to MK City Council. Milton Keynes is a thriving and growing city we are pleased to be building in and be established in for years to come.
“We look forward to continuing our ongoing relationship with Milton Keynes City Council.”