Interview with Philip Ashbourn (b.1936).
Phil Ashbourne came to Milton Keynes in 1976 to work at Milton Keynes Development Corporation as a quantity surveyor in the housing teams. He describes the excitement of his work, and his reasons for being drawn to it. ‘Very few designers can say that they had a hand in such a major development.’ He talks about the sewer tunnels and construction of the balancing lakes and comments on the Government’s attitude to MK. Other topics he mentions relating to MKDC are housing, the Parker Morris standards, education, local centres and redways, transport, the Park & Ride, and the grid square reviews with residents to identify problems, towards the end of MKDC. He discusses in detail the gradual move of Corporation staff to private companies from 1987 onwards; also the redundancy packages and pensions when MKDC ended in 1992.
As a pioneer settler, he was involved in setting up cycling clubs, youth clubs and other clubs, but remembers the difficulty of winning over the original residents. ‘It was a wonderful environment for children … linear parks and everything’. He comments on the many community activities on offer right from the start, through the efforts of inspirational people. ‘I think it’s not 100% successful but it’s pretty successful. The good thing is it’s … built on efforts of pioneers, it’s very satisfying for most of us to see that.”
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