CMK Referendum on BBC News

BBC Look East covered the Milton Keynes referendum as their major news story on Sunday News Night. This is an historic referendum on the country’s first business neighbourhood plan. The BBC interviewed supporters and local residents of the CMK Business Neighbourhood Plan.

“We need more vitality – more vibrancy in the city centre,” says Tim Skelton, who is leading the Vote Yes CMK campaign. “That’s something the plan is aiming to do.”

And local resident Bob Stones added, “People tend to forget that there are people living in Central Milton Keynes.”

CMK currently lacks a medical centre and local shops for local residents, particularly a supermarket at the Campbell Park end. The CMK Neighbourhood Plan aims to provide:

More independent shops and eateries to support small businesses and bring more life into CMK by day and night.
More public spaces and places for the whole community to use – a medical centre plus mixed use development with spaces for live music, events, rehearsals, sports and meetings.
Our very own purpose built university! The plan reserves a pristine site for a major new campus for 5,000 students to bring fresh life into CMK.
Another prime site is set aside for a prestigious new company HQ and the thousands of new jobs it will bring.
Thousands of new homes are already earmarked by government targets for the two grid squares, including affordable and social housing. The plan sets a high standard of design and eco-friendliness for all.

The CMK referendum on 7th May is the largest of its kind in the country. All residents in Milton Keynes have the chance to shape the future of their city centre by voting YES on the Neighbourhood Plan for Central Milton Keynes.