Planners & Development Economists

Roger Tym & Partners
Roger Tym & Partners

Milton Keynes South Midlands study

Roger Tym & Partners undertook a study of a broad area of the South East, East of England and East Midlands to assess a range of scenarios for long-term sustainable growth (up to 2031).  The study area covered Milton Keynes and Aylesbury Vale, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.  

Our initial review of the area established a number of key themes:
  • The MKSM area has had high, but not exceptional economic growth rates, and the skills levels of the workforce need raising.  
  • The transport network relies heavily on the private car, and east-west links are weak.
  • While the urban centres have distinct and complementary characters, all but Milton Keynes are showing signs of stagnation.
  • There are some flood plains which will limit development.
We postulated two economic growth scenarios: higher growth with 300,000 additional jobs and 370,000 additional dwellings; and trend growth with 230,000 additional jobs and 309,0000 additional dwellings.  We then developed four spatial development options:
  • Current planning policy, which distributes growth in accordance with current regional guidance;
  • Urban Concentration, focusing on Milton Keynes, Northampton, Luton and Bedford;
  • Metropolitan Double Centre option, focusing on Milton Keynes and Northampton;
  • Corridor option, focusing on growth in key urban areas on potential East-West rail link and Midlands Mainline corridor.
The Urban Concentration and Corridor options best achieve sustainable development principles especially in relation to transport, but there are difficulties with land requirements, coalescence and overly large intrusions into the Green Belt around Luton.  We therefore developed a Preferred Strategy, which comprises a combination of these two options, focussing growth on Milton Keynes / Aylesbury, Northampton, Bedford, Luton / Dunstable / Houghton Regis, and Corby / Kettering / Wellingborough.

We recommended a two-tier implementation structure: a central Government-led partnership at strategic level to deliver key elements of infrastructure; and delivery companies at local level to bring forward development in the five growth areas.  Our strategy was adopted in regional guidance for the three regions.

The study was completed in 2002.  Our clients were: East of England Local Government Conference, East Midlands Regional Local Government Association, South East England Regional Assembly and DTLR