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Sainsbury's and new homes in £100m Central Milton Keynes Plan |
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Plans for a £100m mixed-use development to include a state-of-the-art Sainsbury's food store and 400 new homes in Central Milton Keynes (CMK) have been endorsed by the newly-created Milton Keynes Partnership Committee. Abbeygate Developments Limited (backed by Helical Bar plc) has been selected to bring forward the 2.6 ha city-centre site by the CMK Board* following a design-led competition. The proposals - which are subject to planning consent from Milton Keynes Council - include a mix of 400 apartments and townhouses (incorporating 30 per cent affordable, to be managed by RSL partner, Genesis Housing Group), a 10,000 sq m Sainsbury's store, along with office, community and leisure space. The decision is the first major project to be scrutinised by the Partnership Committee since its creation in June this year. Committee Chairman, Sir Bob Reid said, "This proposed development is another significant milestone in the ambitious plans for the city centre. We believe that the design quality exhibited by this scheme will be particularly important in setting a benchmark for future development." Sainsbury wants to expand and enhance its presence and will relocate from the city's Food Centre, which is also subject to redevelopment as part of wider plans for CMK. The food store will serve a major new urban community that is being created in the city's "West End", which will provide around 2,400 new homes over the next eight years. The developers will now begin working up plans to submit a planning application to Milton Keynes Council later this autumn with a forecast start on site between March and June 2005. First occupiers could arrive in 2007, the target date for opening a new primary school as part of plans for the nearby West End CMK development. The site is owned by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships. Architects for Abbeygate are q2 Quartet Architects. --ENDS - Notes to editors Milton Keynes Partnership Committee came into operation on 7 June 2004. Members include national regeneration agency English Partnerships and Milton Keynes Council. The Committee was established to bring forward growth and development in the new 'city' and to determine major planning applications in the newly designated Urban Regeneration Area (URA) on the north-east and west of Milton Keynes. *The CMK Board was established by Milton Keynes Council and English Partnerships in 2002. Representatives of other CMK stakeholders are also on the Board and John Walker is the independent Chairman. The purpose of the Board is to oversee and drive forward the delivery of the new Development Framework for Central Milton Keynes, which is now adopted as SPG by the Council. Alow resolution artist's impression of the proposed scheme can be downloaded from www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/cmkdev (see above).For a high resolution version, please contact Jennifer Wheatley or Anne Kerin. For further information, please contact: Jennifer Wheatley Anne Kerin
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