Muse has been chosen to lead regeneration efforts at Central Bletchley, with plans set to include the construction of a new mixed-use neighbourhood surrounding Bletchley railway station as the town prepares for the arrival of East West Rail.
Appointed by Milton Keynes City Council; Muse has signed a development agreement for the preparation of a masterplan covering major development sites on both the eastern and western sides of the station.
Working in collaboration with the Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP), the company will develop proposals for new homes, retail space, community facilities and public realm improvements in an effort to strengthen links between both the station and Bletchley’s town centre.
Plans will include a mix of affordable homes, build-to-rent properties and homes for private sale, as well as ctive ground-floor commercial uses, improved public spaces and community infrastructure designed to support long-term regeneration and encourage investment in the town centre.
The appointment follows an earlier announcement of a 22 million GBP investment package for a new eastern entrance to Bletchley station, comprising 17 million GBP from the Government’s Growth Mission Fund and up to 5 million GBP from Milton Keynes City Council. This new entrance will be developed to provide a direct pedestrian connection between the station and Queensway, Bletchley’s main shopping street, in an effort to improve accessibility and increase footfall.
Elsewhere, the scheme is intended to maximise opportunities presented by the introduction of East West Rail, the new railway linking Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Bletchley is expected to become a key interchange on the route, strengthening its role within the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and improving connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors.
Andy Howell, Development Director at Muse, said:Bletchley has the connectivity, the ambition and the civic backing to become a success story in the region.
Station-led transformation such as this is exactly the kind of community creation that Muse specialises in – enhanced connectivity and placemaking, complex partnerships delivering meaningful change, and a long-term brief to transform a town centre, not just a site.
Public consultation and design work on the masterplan are both expected to commence in the coming months before detailed planning proposals are brought forward.
