FAQs

Campbell Park Northside will be a sustainable new neighbourhood for Milton Keynes that will frame the northern edge of Campbell Park with around 1,500 private and affordable homes, a local centre, green spaces, mobility hubs and enhanced walking and cycling links.

To the north of Campbell Park - CMK at one end and the Grand Union Canal at the other. The 50- acre site has a south-facing, gently sloping aspect angled to the sun path and fronting on to Campbell Park.

Urban Splash, in partnership with Glenbrook, are bringing forward proposals for 442 apartments, a canal side café, work and leisure space for residents, a mobility hub, over 1,500sqm of landscape and open space. We have selected the Canal Side as the first phase as it has all the hallmarks to make a real statement of intent for the rest of Campbell Park Northside.

It is also separated from the wider masterplan by Overgate and, in that sense, makes a “logical” starting point. Phase 1 is crucial. We are setting the tone for the rest of the neighbourhood, establishing a benchmark of high-quality contemporary design, beautiful public realm and a new type of urban/park living.

The design approach to Phase 1 is to work with the existing topography as much as possible, which slopes by 10 metres west to east. Having four high quality point block buildings and a green Mobility Hub nestled in the canal side landscape, means that more than 60% of the site can be given over to landscape and open space. Most vehicular traffic is kept out of the site and walking and cycling routes are provided to enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the landscape.

The landscape design is informed by best qualities of the site. Enhancing and putting back better is a design priority. Cafe spaces spill out to terraces to the east of the site where the Grand Union canal provides open stretches of waterway with canal boats and leisure activities. The canal is an attractive asset to wildlife too and this will be enhanced by both managing existing habitats and planting new wetland meadows that help mitigate flooding and provide a beautiful rich environment full of flowers and pollinators.

To the south, views to the parkland will be framed between the tree planting and to the west and east, dense areas of trees will be enhanced for wildlife as well as helping to separate the site from the roads. Areas for play are proposed in a woodland setting, both as a designated play area and as incidental play features along the way.

Communal space is also provided in the landscape and is designed to allow residents to find a space of their own outside, whether it’s to relax in the sun, quietly read a book or socialise with friends.

The new open spaces on site will be accessible to everyone, not just residents of the new apartments. There will be a long-term management plan in place (secured through legal agreement) to ensure the spaces are cared for and maintained by the Parks Trust or another reputable management company.

The buildings are designed as a collection of four-point blocks. The tallest building being 20 storeys framing the Campbell Park, reducing to 9 storeys fronting on to the Grand Union Canal. All apartments will be dual aspect and with fantastic of views overall Campbell Park and Grand Union Canal.

Phase 1 will act as a focal point to Campbell Park Northside framing Campbell Park and acting as a visually marker and “bookend” to the new neighbourhood. Phase 1 will eventually be linked to CMK by development running the length of Silbury Boulevard. The natural topography of the land falls away from CMK to the Grand Union Canal (Phase 1), which sits at the lowest point, making it a neat location for additional height and density. This means that the overall visual impact of Phase 1 on the wider context is reduced, whilst still achieving the overall density ambitions for Campbell Park Northside.

A total of 442 apartments are proposed, including a mix of 1, 2 and 3 beds. 137 of the apartments delivered will be Affordable Homes.

For many people, the Monday to Friday commute is a distant memory so we are planning for a more sustainable, flexible and modern transport offer at Campbell Park Northside. We want people to be able to travel when they want, where they want and how they want. A mobility hub will bring together a range of travel options, reflecting the rapidly evolving personal mobility sector in Milton Keynes.

Collocated alongside traditional car parking, the mobility hub will focus on making it easier to choose greener travel options. Car ownership will become a choice, rather than a necessity.

As well as being a natural home for EV charging infrastructure, the mobility hub will include facilities for:

• Cycling, including bike hire, electric bicycle charging and community workshop
• E-scooters, including storage racks, information points and charging facilities
• Parcel collection, including parcel lockers and autonomous delivery pod hub
• A small retail convenience shop and cycle workshop
• Shared driving, including car club vehicles

The mobility hub will help to achieve Milton Keynes Council’s ambition to have the most sustainable transport system in the country by 2031. By enabling lower-impact travel, it will bring benefits in air quality, reduced congestion, carbon emissions and social inclusion, whilst maximising the flexibility for users.

There is a capacity for primary and secondary school places in the local catchment. Within 2 miles of the site there is a combined capacity of over 800 primary school places. Within 3 miles of the site there is a combined capacity of over 420 secondary school places. There are three GP practices within 3 miles of the site, all of which are accepting new patients. Locally, the average patient to GP ratio is below the national average (including the proposed Phase 1 development).

Annual GVA generated by Phase 1 is estimated to be around £815,000. Over a ten-year timeframe this will contribute an estimated £7million to economic output. Phase 1 will generate around £2.2million convenience goods expenditure per annum, £2.6million comparison goods expenditure, and £1.4million leisure expenditure. Overall, Phase 1 will generate over £6.3million expenditure per annum within Milton Keynes Assuming the new apartments fall within Band D, once fully occupied the site is estimated to generate around £914,261 on an annual basis in additional Council Tax payments, or around £9.1million over ten years at 2022/23 rates.

The Campbell Park Northside has long been earmarked for development and is one of the few significant sites that can address the challenge and opportunity of positioning Milton Keynes for the next 50 years. The site is designated as HS5 housing allocation under Policy DS2 ‘Housing Strategy’ of the Milton Keynes Local Plan (Plan:MK). The allocation is for approximately 1,500 dwellings and supporting uses, at a density of between 100 and 200 dwellings per hectare.

Campbell Park Northside has the scale, location and partners to deliver a rich and characterful neighbourhood and a variety of housing typologies, creating opportunity for single occupancy apartments through to family homes through to multigenerational households. Not the mono- culture of the garden suburb but a diverse garden city neighbourhood for all ages and incomes.

31% of homes delivered at Campbell Park Northside will be Affordable Homes. These will be a mix of types and tenures, including discounted market rent, social rent and shared ownership.

The site is accessed via Silbury Boulevard to the south and Portway to the north, with existing roads, paths, Redways and key utilities infrastructure already in place – including Overgate, Pilgrim Street, Skeldon Gate, Colgrain Street and Adelphi Street. The proposals will reuse as much existing infrastructure as possible as this is the most sustainable approach.

Car parking will be provided in line with MKCC parking standards. Ultimately the ambition is to create a low traffic neighbourhood where motor vehicle traffic in residential streets is greatly reduced. Private motorised vehicles still have easy access to all homes and businesses without driving directly through the neighbourhood. This opens up networks of streets so people can safely travel through the area on foot, bicycle, by wheeling or by bus. Emergency vehicles can also be prioritised to reach their destinations quicker.

The Redways running through Campbell Park Northside are a major asset. We want to improve and enhance this existing cycle infrastructure through encouraging greater patronage. We will link up Redway routes from outside the site with new cycle links improving access from Downs Barn and Downhead Park to Campbell Park and CMK. We also like the idea of activating the Redway at strategic locations throughout Campbell Park Northside with links to open spaces, pause points, public squares and cafes.

Options are being explored to reimagine all the existing infrastructure on site, including the car parking. One of the great opportunities of the site is to improve the connection with Campbell Park. We are looking at opportunities to better activate the interface with the park and draw the park itself more into the site. This could include improved pedestrian and cycle linkages and a small centre with shops, cafes and restaurants giving on to Campbell Park. Parking displaced would sought to be accommodated along Silbury Boulevard itself or within the site.

Campbell Park Northside is owned by Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP). MKDP uses and develops its land assets to help the Milton Keynes become a better place to live, socialise and work. Urban Splash has been selected by MKDP as the masterplan developer for Campbell Park Northside.

Urban Splash is a multi award-winning regeneration company. Now in its 30 th year, Urban Splash has invested over a billion pounds in regeneration creating over 5,000 new homes, 2 million sqft of work space and thousands of jobs. Urban Splash has a proud track record in delivering places that are attractive, desirable and sustainable. Through working with local communities and some of the most creative designers and architects Urban Splash believe in ‘placemaking’ above all as a means to ensure successful delivery both now and in the long term.

Urban Splash is committed to engaging with the local community about plans for Campbell Park Northside. Since the start of 2022 the project team has already spoken with community organisations and residential groups and this website is part of the ongoing consultation process. There will be an in-person event in April and further events later in 2023.

We will be holding a second phase of consultation later this year on more detailed designs for the Campbell Park Northside masterplan. Once that consultation has concluded, and further comments have been considered and incorporated into the design where possible, an outline planning application for the Campbell Park Northside masterplan will be submitted to MKCC. In advance of this a detailed planning application for phase 1 will be submitted in summer 2023.