New Town movement<\/a>, it is heralded as Britain\u2019s most famous and successful town.<\/p>\nMilton Keynes started as the dream of politicians and planners in the late 1960s. The town was given the go ahead on 23 January 1967 after then Housing Minister Anthony Greenwood put the wheels in motion to create a unique green metropolis.<\/p>\n
Milton Keynes was built on 8,850 hectares of farmland and undeveloped villages. It was positioned in the heart of England, roughly between London, Birmingham, Leicester, Oxford, and Cambridge. It is now home to almost 270,000 residents, 11,000 businesses and is used as a model for new cities worldwide.<\/p>\n
Major contributor to the economy<\/h3>\n
Milton Keynes is undoubtedly successful, contributing over \u00a310bn to the nation\u2019s Gross Value Added (GVA) economic output. It also boasts the third highest start-up rate and the fourth highest density of businesses.<\/p>\n
It is expected the town will grow further, with an interim report from the National Infrastructure Commission suggesting Milton Keynes could become a global showcase for science, technology and innovation. A third of employment in the town is based around innovative, knowledge-based businesses. Comparatively, this is a quarter nationwide.<\/p>\n
Green planning<\/h3>\n
Milton Keynes boasts around two-fifth open space, with residents never more than half a mile from parkland. There are 15 lakes and 11 miles of canals, as well as 22 million trees and shrubs. The town also has more than 180 miles of dedicated bridleways, footpaths and cycle tracks.<\/p>\n
The town remains dedicated to green initiatives, tripling the number of electrical vehicles driven in 2016. It has a network of charging points and a fleet of electric buses.<\/p>\n
It also recently launched the first trial of driverless pods in pedestrianised areas as part of the LUTZ pathfinder project. This is being led by the Transport Systems Catapult, which is based in the town. This will see a fleet of 40 pods operating around Milton Keynes by 2018.<\/p>\n
Future development<\/h3>\n
Looking ahead, the MK2050 Futures Commission was established to discern new ideas to develop Milton Keynes further. This includes plans for a smart, integrated transport network and the establishment of MK: IT\u2014a new style university that promotes Living Lab research into the issues facing growing cities.<\/p>\n
Leader of Milton Keynes Council<\/a> Pete Marland said: \u201cPeople came to MK to be part of something new where everyone could shape their place called home.<\/p>\n\u201cThis created a community keen to progress and move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly proud of the progress that MK, its residents, businesses and organisations have made in its first fifty years and we are as ambitious and optimistic for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs originally designed, nothing stands still in Milton Keynes and we\u2019re ready for our next phase of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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