Council head and business leaders back city expansion proposals.
The leader of Milton Keynes City Council has called on the business community to get behind plans to expand the city’s reach and appeal, in the face of two major future developments.
Cllr Jane Carr told company bosses recently that the vote for this year’s City of Culture competition is getting closer and that now is the last time they can get involved and support the council with its bid.
She also spoke about the forthcoming Universal Studios development near Bedford which, she added, will benefit Milton Keynes, and told businesses they need to start preparing now for the theme park’s 2031 opening.
“Two things are coming that will impact Milton Keynes to the point where businesses will profit,” Cllr Carr told delegates at a recent Meet of MK business gathering in the city’s Hotel La Tour.
“We have now submitted the bid for the City of Culture and you can still get involved via the council’s website. We were shortlisted down to the last nine, which is incredible because we are up against some big players. But we are now aiming to get down to the last three.”
Judges will check on MK’s bid in October with the result being announced in January next year.
“January is a big month for this city as we will be 60 years old,” said Cllr Carr. “And if I have anything to do with it, we’re having a massive party. The City of Culture bid is about people doing stuff in their own community and about bringing people to the city to show off what we can do.”
She said a new music venue, opening near MK’s railway station and starting construction early next year, will be part of the city’s cultural appeal.
“But there will also be community groups that want to do localised things such as street art, community dancing, a food festival; there’s 101 things that people can get involved in and it’s a year-long opportunity,” said the council leader.
“But it is a competition so if we want to win, I need every single person in this room behind us. Because it will bring in millions of pounds worth of investment to this city.
“We have pitched ourselves as a ‘new city’ not a regeneration area,” she added. “But we are on our journey and we want to start with a culture base. That brings communities and people together, shares ideas and builds a real sense of place in our city.
She told delegates that the bid was a ‘stepping stone’ towards the ambitious Universal Studios plans.
“It’s a third bigger than Disneyland Paris, there will be 55,000 people going there every single day, and we’ve got to get them here,” she said.
“One of the things that we will get out of this is a decent transport system. But what I want for this city is people who are buying a three-day ticket for Universal, stopping here for a week and doing other things.
“Those people will come back to MK and they will want somewhere to go for a drink or a meal, some time with family. And people who have been to the theme park will be looking the next day for retail, beauty parlours, a hairdresser. We want them to have unique experiences here, because I don’t want them going to Bedford or Northampton.”
Cllr Carr’s plans were backed by Neil Hart, CEO of Stadium MK Group, the organisation that owns MK Dons football club and MKFM.
“We want to support Jane and the council and all the local businesses and I think the work we have started to do has been insightful and a bit different,” said Neil Hart. “We put the City of Culture bid logo on the front of the team’s shirt for the first nine games of the season – that’s an amazing gesture from our board to back the bid.
“And we want to be Universal ready. We already operate the city’s largest hotel, so we have to get that Universal ready too. That requires upgrades, investment, room refurbishment, shuttles and all the infrastructure.
“We want to develop the site around the stadium from a leisure and hospitality point of view. I never want to take anything away from the city centre but we want to play our part. It’s a really exciting project for us in the future.
“Our owners are committed to investing in the city. We stand side by side with the council, with businesses, and we want to play our part and make this city as prosperous and as Universal ready as possible. And we want to win the bid.”
