MILTON KEYNES | Projects and Construction

[link_road_17/7]

MKC are also consulting on the Local Investment Plan (LIP) until 31/08/2012.

http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/mkgr...tment_Plan.pdf

Interesting snippets are:

International Sporting City (ISC) proposals

- team training base for grass pitch sports community sports coaching hub (grass roots to elite level)

- sports quarter site options for competition swimming pool and 12 court (or larger) sports hall, health and fitness centre (Newlands or CMK block or The Bowl)

- mass participation events platform at Willen Lake/Newlands/Campbell Park

- major venue for cycling (or triathlon)

- sports medicine/education hub and portal


'The Edge' Arts facility, creative space for artists in CMK.

Independent Cinema for Wolverton

Newport Pagnell Arts & Design Centre (for 2014/5)

MK Museum expansion/City Museum facility (for 2016/7)

Bradwell Windmill museum expansion (for 2013/4)

Bletchley Park museum expansion (for 2016/7)

City Archive based in CMK (for 2015/6)

Bradwell Abbey expansion, includes library/archive/commercial/conference/events facility (for 2015/6)

Library for Eastern Expansion Area, full-scale, with lifelong learning (for 2013/4)

Central Library regeneration (for 2015/6)

Bletchley Library relocation (for 2016/7)

Public art in expansion areas, Station Square, along Midsummer Blvd., in Campbell Park and Oxley Park, Newton Leys, Ashlands, etc.

Aurora - fibre optic thatch at Great Linford Barn

Pass The Parcel - Eastern Expansion Area

CMK Bus Hopper service

East-West CMK Redway

MK Waterway Park (Eastern Expansion Area)

Cycle Hire

Completion of dualling of A421 (Kingston - M1)

Olney Bypass

Bletchley Southern Bypass

Primary School for CMK

Secondary School for CMK

[RMB2007]

Have they started the cladding on the stadium yet, or the other developments surrounding the stadium?

[MK Tom]

Little picture I took today:

image hosted on flickr

[MK86]

H4 Dansteed Way near to the Crownhill turning and the H4 / V3 roundabout further up now has what you can describe as tall plastic markers in the grass leading up to the kerbs to mark out where the new roads will lead from the Grid road into the new Fairfields Estate. The markers reach as far as the trees but nothing has been knocked down as of yet.

[MK86]

I know this forum is future thinking but thought I would share this find on how The Point looked back in 1987 when it was the place to be...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Lkq6zWlhM

[link_road_17/7]

Superb find MK86. Amazing to imagine that kind of razamatazz being recreated.


MKC/Station Square area update:

Line markings have been finished, and the test buses were brought out on Friday, all went well.

Town Council are investigating provision of public toilets, as the works included future-proofing for plumbing at a later date.

NSIP works inside the station have now been delayed until at least September, due to the Station Square works overunning and not wishing to disrupt Olympic event traffic.

Youth using outside of The Quadrant:MK for skate/BMX. Security seem to be moving them along without problem.


Recent planning applications of interest:

Application No: 12/01194/FUL Type: Full Application
Proposal: Flexible use for any use within Class A1, Class A2, Class A3, Class A4, Class A5, B1a (Offices) and D1; ground floor extension and alterations
At: Ground Floor Phoenix House 202 - 300 Elder Gate Central Milton Keynes Milton Keynes MK9 1BE
For: IM Properties (WHB) Limited
Planning Team: East Planning Officer: Anna Holloway
Valid: 08/06/2012 Consultation Expiry: 18/07/2012
Parish/Town Council: Central Milton Keynes Town Council
Conservation area (if applicable):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Application No: 12/01011/FUL Type: Full Application
Proposal: Installation of play equipment within existing public garden
At: Garden Behind Community Centre North Row Central Milton Keynes Milton Keynes
For: CMK Town Council
Planning Team: East Planning Officer: Anna Holloway
Valid: 07/06/2012 Consultation Expiry: 18/07/2012
Parish/Town Council: Central Milton Keynes Town Council
Conservation area (if applicable):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


McDonalds at Little Brickhill (A5/A4146 junction)

Application No: 12/01098/ADV Type: Advert Application
Proposal: Installation of a 12m freestanding pole sign and 24 hour appendage
At: Former Little Chef Galley Lane Little Brickhill Milton Keynes MK17 9RB
For: McDonald's Restaurants Ltd
Planning Team: East Planning Officer: Alex Harrison
Valid: 22/05/2012 Consultation Expiry: 04/07/2012
Parish/Town Council: Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council
Conservation area (if applicable):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Snap Fitness (second UK opening), rumoured to be opening early July.

Application No: 12/01084/ADV Type: Advert Application
Proposal: Advertisement consent for one illuminated logo sign and one non-illuminated window graphic
At: Unit F South Row Central Milton Keynes Milton Keynes MK9 2FY
For: Snap Fitness
Planning Team: East Planning Officer: Alex Harrison
Valid: 21/05/2012 Consultation Expiry: 28/06/2012
Parish/Town Council: Central Milton Keynes Town Council
Conservation area (if applicable):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a matter for debate: given the new Home Counties and SW England forum, should we stick with the East Midlands forum, being 'South East Midlands', or consider ourselves part of the wider Home Counties (South East outside London)?

[MK Tom]

Little bit of transport news - sources inform me that Arriva plan to commence running a night bus version of route 5 (imaginatively named the N5) from the middle of July. They are also committed to introducing a new direct Wolverton-CMK-Bletchley service to reduce pressure on the 5. That should come around August time.

EDIT:

It gets better. From December 10th all off-peak London Midland Euston-Crewe services will omit Watford and Northampton. These services will be run with trains newly regeared for 110mph operation south of Nuneaton. The journey time from Milton Keynes to Stafford will be 1 hour 9 minutes, down by 20 minutes. Northampton will still be served by what is presently the Birmingham portion of the train, also running at 110mph.

[MK Tom]

Another photo update for y'all. First of all the now complete and partially opened Network Rail National Centre:







The new bus bays at the Central station, which open on Sunday:



Only a few more days of confusion and congestion... Stagecoach's absurdly overpriced route 89 to Northampton via the Stratfords, Towcester and Blisworth pulls away from the temporary stops on Elder Gate:


The Next new expansion to CMK shopping centre. See what I did there? 'Next'? :p



We do seem to have moved on a bit now from this little embarrasing blip in our otherwise fine architectural history...

[aldredd]

A little shudder goes through me every time I go past those buildings.eugh

The network rail building on the other hand looks like a fab building, and looks like it will be a great place to work.

[MK Tom]

YAY! Station Square has reopened...



Drivers from out of town were getting a bit stumped by the new layout. This Stagecoach bus should be in the 'Z' lane but has come down the Arriva-only 'Y' lane by accident:

image hosted on flickr


Arriva service 100/150 is still dropping off on Elder Gate, despite having officially switched to the stop X3 by the Pinnacle as long ago as February:

image hosted on flickr


A few views of the Elder Gate stops being removed and other services using the new stops:



image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr



Lastly, Network Rail from the pointless £100,000 footpath alongside Elder Gate:

[link_road_17/7]

On Friday the 13th(!) the Station Square clock was restored to show the correct working time and bulbs replaced, so that it is backlit at night.

It had been in a sorry state of repair after being wrapped in duct tape and bin-liner by the HCA, which ended up keeping water inside the clock, causing corrosion.

Fortunately, as CMK Town Councillor I liased with Seiko (and their electrical contractor), to make it good at their kind genoristy.

Next step is to have the pole painted as a priority by the Community Payback team and arrange funding for its future upkeep.

Pictures to follow!

[SteveAWOL]

East West Rail link finally announced today:

East West rail link will re-open - Local - Milton Keynes Citizen

COMMUTERS travelling between Bedford and Bletchley will soon be enjoying an improved service following news that the East-West rail link would be re-opened by 2017.

The announcement was made in Parliament today by Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, who detailed government plans that will see rail services improved along with electrification of Great Western, West Coast and Midland main lines. The new rail line will help connect rail passengers in Milton Keynes with destinations in East Anglia, as well as Central, Southern and Western England. The Western Section will link Milton Keynes and Bedford with Aylesbury, Oxford and Reading.

News of the multi-million pound development has delighted campaigners, some of whom have been fighting to re-open the line for 25 years. Chris Wright, chairman of the Bucks and Oxon Rail Action Committee, said: “We are delighted and amazed. We have been campaigning for this and badgering various groups for so long but the hard work is not over yet. We will keep going until the first trains run and even when they do we will work to set up a user group.”

The electrification of the line between Bedford and Bletchley is also welcomed by Mr Wight. He added: “The electrified routes will be better for the surrounding wildlife as they will be greener but they will also have a greater acceleration than other trains meaning a more efficient service.”

http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/east-...ectrification/

One train per hour (1tph) from Reading to Oxford and Milton Keynes, stopping at Water Eaton, Parkway, Bicester, Winslow and Bletchley. These services could start from Didcot.
Journey Times
Oxford to Milton Keynes 40 minutes
Reading to Milton Keynes 84 minutes
◊ 1 tph from Reading to Oxford and Bedford, stopping at Water Eaton Parkway, Bicester, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands and Lidlington. Again these services could start from Didcot.
Journey Times
Oxford to Bedford 60 minutes
Reading to Bedford 106 minutes
◊ 1 tph from Milton Keynes to London Marylebone as an extension of the existing service to Aylesbury Vale Parkway with stops at Bletchley and Winslow.
Journey Times
Milton Keynes to Aylesbury 33 minutes
High Wycombe to Milton Keynes 63 minutes

[sotonsi]

◊ 1 tph from Milton Keynes to London Marylebone as an extension of the existing service to Aylesbury Vale Parkway with stops at Bletchley and Winslow.
Journey Times
Milton Keynes to Aylesbury 33 minutes
High Wycombe to Milton Keynes 63 minutes

Surely existing AVP services are only via Amersham? High Wycombe services would be better (and more likely), but that would mean an extension of Aylesbury services, not AVP services.

Also worthy of note is that it's being electrified (though not Claydon-Aylesbury). Though so is Nuneaton - Leamington - Oxford, so there won't be much electric freight from Bristol/Southampton joining the WCML at MK, nor will there be a diversion of Bournemouth-Manchester trains via MK if they provide electric trains for it.

[MK Tom]

Yeah the Aylesbury service is an entirely new service and not an extension of the existing AVP service. There's currently no direct Aylesbury-Wycombe hourly service which is another benefit EWR will create.

[link_road_17/7]

From: http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/l...e-mk-1-4066289

Originally Posted by Milton Keynes Citizen

PRIMARK have agreed terms to open a three-storey store as part of a new, £40 million development in the shopping centre.

Less than a year after it was announced that the popular shop would be coming to Milton Keynes at stadium:mk’s MK1 retail park, thecentre:mk revealed today (Wednesday) that the development on Secklow Gate would be occupied by the brand.

This deal comes as part of a significant investment plan for thecentre:mk which presently includes a £27 million extension and refurbishment currently underway at John Lewis, and a £6 million extension and refit to Next following a £4.5 million refurbishment at House of Fraser, which completed at the end of last year.

Following the exhibition, a planning application will be submitted to Milton Keynes Council for the investment at Secklow Gate, enabling the development of the new Primark store.

The plans, which will also create a further 17,500 sq ft retail unit and an improved market site, involves the removal of the southern section of Secklow Gate Bridge, unlocking the potential for the wider regeneration of Central Milton Keynes by opening up the land to the south of the shopping centre and Midsummer Boulevard.

Asset Manager, Hermes Real Estate Investment Management Limited, Ben Tolhurst, said: “We are firmly committed to the development and evolution of thecentre:mk, and the introduction of high profile retailers looking to expand into Milton Keynes is critical to maintaining its national retail rankings. Primark has had a requirement for Central Milton Keynes for some time, which is testament to the strong customer demand in the area.”

MP for Milton Keynes North, Mark Lancaster, said: “I am delighted to hear that Primark are looking to establish themselves in Central Milton Keynes. We all want this city to continue to thrive and I am confident this addition will maintain and improve Milton Keynes’ position as a premier retail destination.”

A Primark spokesperson, said: “We look forward to opening a new store at thecentre:mk. Milton Keynes provides an ideal location for Primark as it meets our requirements for store locations and is already a popular destination for our target customer.”

[captainflynn23]

Sadly i've got nothing to show photography-wise regarding to MK itself, however I did get a pic of the goodyear airship flying over CMK last week..

[link_road_17/7]

Originally Posted by captainflynn23

Sadly i've got nothing to show photography-wise regarding to MK itself, however I did get a pic of the goodyear airship flying over CMK last week.

I saw the blimp too on Friday afternoon but didn't get a picture!

[MK Tom]

Originally Posted by link_road_17/7

From: http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/l...e-mk-1-4066289

Any attempt to remove the Secklow Gate flyover will be opposed in the strongest possible terms.

[link_road_17/7]

Originally Posted by MK Tom

Any attempt to remove the Secklow Gate flyover will be opposed in the strongest possible terms.

Agreed, but MKC are minded to approve ANYTHING that means jobs.

[aldredd]

Originally Posted by MK Tom

Any attempt to remove the Secklow Gate flyover will be opposed in the strongest possible terms.

You'll know I'm about as pro-MK as they get, but I've not 'got' the issue with the flyover. To me, it's an ugly blot creating dark and dingy areas under it.
I've lived in various parts of the city, and any time I've wanted to travel across the city I pretty much always route my journey to avoid that road, usually preferring Marlborough Steet - and when I do use it, there is seldom much traffic using it.

And, given that each 'end' leads into a residential estate, I don't quite buy the argument that it would restrict the flow of traffic in the way it's claimed

The closing of Midsummer Blvd is/was a bigger issue imo - especially with the plans to further devleop the area of Midsummer Place where the road went.

That said, when you start to consider the closing of Seklow flyover, you have to start to wonder if it starts making sense to completely/largely pedestrianize the whole area between Avebury & Silbury boulevards. Given that the only route available for traffic coming up Seklow Gate would be Right, down Midsummer, and onto Marlborough Gate, you may as well direct traffic down Avebury / Marlborough instead.


Would open a wealth of opportunity.