Milton Keynes Development Corporation 1967-1992

How it all began

From the Story of the Original CMK, Living Archive

The creation of the new city of Milton Keynes, designed by a Government Order of 23rd January 1967, was overseen by Milton Keynes Development Corporation which was formally established on 13th March 1967.  Board Members included prominent local and national representatives of business, the professions and academia as well as from the local and county councils. 

Within 25 years, MKDC attracted over 80,000 jobs, oversaw the construction of 44,000 houses and planted 14 million trees and shrubs.  At its peak in the 1980s, MKDC employed 1700 people.  Its starting point and guiding principles were incorporated in the Master Plan for Milton Keynes, commissioned from Richard Llewellyn-Davies by Lord 'Jock' Cambell, MKDC's first Chairman, and published in March 1970. 

By March 1992, when the Corporation was wound up under its second Chairman, Lord Chilver, the population of the Borough had increased more than three-fold to 183,000, with the city providing 83 new schools, 10 new health centres, over 100km of new city roads and nearly 230km if unique cycle Redways.

Information from Milton Keynes, Images and Reality - Bendixson, 1992; and MKDC's 1st Annual Report