Interview with Don Head

Starting at MKDC in 1972 as an Assistant Estates Officer, Don recalls early impressions of MKDC, and the 1972 Design Centre Exhibition. Having seen the benefits in other new town work, he says: ‘…I wanted the place where I live … to have some of those features of the village I came from’. He first talks of processes for providing land for housing development, discussing difficulties of getting mixed rental/sale housing, building Woughton Park, and provision of houses for Ugandan Asians who had been deported by Idi Amin. In 1974 Don worked on industrial sites, promoting MK to companies and showing staff around. He also describes MKDC’s move to matrix management teams. Don comments on the ‘superb’ MK landscapes, saying: ‘Neil Higson deserves an architectural gold medal’. In 1976 Don took over the newly-formed Property Management Group for commercial properties in local centres, including Wolverton Agora (which he calls ‘this great brick monster’).

The shopping centre was a major part of Don’s work; as a deputy director of the Management Company, he had oversight of shop refits & tenant management and describes his techniques for chasing rents, the five-year rent reviews and the ability of retailers to transfer their leased property. Describing his role in the sale of MKDC’s share of the building to POSTEL on 31st March 1992, he says: ‘we got over £60 million for our interest in the lease …the biggest property transaction that we did’. In Don’s opinion, the inclusion of social development made MK ‘more holistic’ than some new towns; looking back, he says that ‘being associated with the shopping building and … having been part of the team that built this city … makes me proud’. He loves living in MK and expresses his support for community activities, in particular the arts and membership of the City Church, for which he helped to raise funds and, with Chris Hopkinson, set up the church management company.