Milton Keynes: a prosperous town set for growth
Milton Keynes is growing exponentially, with the aim of doubling its residents by 2050. But what makes the town such an appealing place? We speak to the Mayor of Milton Keynes to find out.
Milton Keynes is thriving as a place to live and work, despite only being established for a little over 50 years.
Created in 1967, the large town is known for its abundance of roundabouts and of course, its concrete cows, but it should also be famous for the `can-do’ atmosphere created by its residents.
That’s what Milton Keynes Mayor, Cllr Sam Crooks, believes makes this town so “wonderful”.
As a town that is succeeding, the council aims to double the population from 250,000 to 500,000 in the next 30 years.
In order to reach the population goal set, Cllr Crooks explains that it is effectively akin to “building this city all over again”, and something that will be achieved thanks to the “can-do” atmosphere present in the town.
One element that makes Milton Keynes such a desirable area is the number of job opportunities available, as well as a prediction for a high-level of employment in the future.
As stated by Cllr Crooks, of the new houses that will be built – in line with the council’s plan to grow the population in the next 30 years – 60% of those will be for the children of people who are already living in Milton Keynes, which “shows prosperity”.
He said: “This will mean that we will go on having full employment because the kids here going to the college and the university will be able to stay in Milton Keynes as there will be jobs.”
Cllr Crooks went on to say that the other 40% of housing will be available for those outside of Milton Keynes and that once people are aware that there is employment available in the town, “they will come”.
So, what makes Milton Keynes an attractive area to job seekers?
Cllr Crooks explained: “It’s a wonderful place to live because there’s so much greenspace and it’s easy to get around.
“I’m going back a little bit of history, but the interesting thing is, a number of years ago, people used to say: ‘How can you live in Milton Keynes? We’ve heard such terrible things.’ We have all heard people joke about the roundabouts. But the amazing thing is that everybody who actually lives here, loves it.”
Moving forward, Cllr Crooks believes that Milton Keynes will carry on growing as the town becomes a hot spot for both employment opportunities and a great place to live.
He concluded: “By 2050, we will be bigger than Edinburgh and we will be bigger than Cardiff. The statistic that really blows me away is that there will be more children at school in Milton Keynes than Manchester in the future.”
