Plans in for £180m vertical village in Milton Keynes

Investor Patron Capital and developer First Base have submitted their plans for the £180m MK Gateway tower project in Milton Keynes.

The 2.35-acre site will see Saxon Court, a former council office building, extended upwards by three storeys, and a landmark 27-storey block of flats will be built alongside it.

Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, the upgraded Saxon Court building will become an office block, and its large atrium space will be transformed into an indoor public square, with spaces for leisure and local independent food and drink businesses. The square will be connected to an outdoor ‘village green’.

The MK Gateway project will provide an area of publicly accessible space equivalent to 19 tennis courts, creating a new neighbourhood in which Milton Keynes residents can live, work and play.

The residential block, dubbed the “vertical village”, will contain 288 flats for rent and will boast 11 vertical gardens, covering a total of 4,500 square feet, which are claimed to be a first in the UK.

Project director Steve Eccles of First Base said, “We believe this highly sustainable development will support Milton Keynes’ growth ambitions, celebrate the city’s innovative spirit, and generate significant long-term benefits.”

If the plans are approved, the construction of the project should start this year.