Milton Keynes City Council is inviting residents, businesses and community groups to have their say on a bold new draft Sustainability Strategy that sets out a vision to make MK one of the world’s leading sustainable cities.
The city council’s new strategy describes how the whole city, and all council operations, could be net zero by 2030 (20 years ahead of the legal deadline). This goal – while ambitious – is built on years of progress, including the city council cutting carbon emissions by tens of thousands of tonnes and reducing its energy use by 80%. Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park is now generating enough energy to power 11,000 homes and the city council has secured funding to make 1,500 council homes more energy efficient, with some tenants already benefitting from lower energy bills. More than 8,000 trees have been planted in recent years, including ten forest gardens.
The draft strategy outlines how the city will tackle climate change and reduce emissions, and how the community will benefit as a result. Collaboration is a key part of the strategy; residents and businesses have a vital role to play in making Milton Keynes fully sustainable.
The strategy has five key themes:
- Economy – encouraging green jobs, supporting local businesses to seize the opportunities of net zero, and driving a circular economy
- Energy – supporting renewable energy use and plans for a city-wide District Heating Network
- Emissions – investing in sustainable public transport and decarbonising council vehicles and homes
- Environment – protecting and enhancing the city’s green spaces and biodiversity
- Engagement – working hand-in-hand with communities The draft Sustainability Strategy is now open for consultation and the full document can be found at the City Council website.
Major applications approved
Milton Keynes City Council has approved 391 new homes and four major employment sites in the first quarter of this year – the equivalent of giving the green light to around six new homes every working day. The 37,750 square metres of employment space approved in the first three months of 2025 is roughly the size of five football pitches, paving the way for more than a thousand new jobs as the city continues to lead the way in delivering sustainable and well-planned growth.
The City Council is not only approving growth, but it also ensures that it gets built, making sure planning permissions turn into real homes and workplaces for residents and businesses, and enabling it to collect funding from developers for each property to put towards important facilities such as the recently opened radiotherapy centre at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
Earlier this year, the city council announced that it had beaten government housebuilding targets for the seventh year running. It secured £218m from developers over those seven years to invest in roads, schools, health facilities and other key infrastructure.
To find out more visit their website.
