Talk given by Bill Berrett to MK Forum

Tim Skelton first introduces Bill and his talk: ‘In the beginning was Pooleyville’ to his audience. Bill begins by acknowledging that the creation of the ‘great community’ of MK is built from contributions of many people. He argues that MK is on a wonderful continuum of development including Garden Cities and future eco cities; his talk describes the process of moving ‘from image to reality’. The image leading to MK in the 1960s was that of a new town in Buckinghamshire, between London and Birmingham, to accommodate London overspill. He credits Fred Pooley, County Architect and Planning Officer for Bucks County Council, with ‘the idea to build Milton Keynes… at a time when there was enormous pressure coming out from London to… develop the green belt’. Bill recounts his involvement in the development of a plan for ‘Pooleyville’ in the early 1960s, fulfilling the idea of a city of 250,000 people in North Bucks, included in the County Development Plan. He and Fred toured Bucks to promote the proposal and its development, featuring a fare-free public transport system, which was made public in January 1964.

Bill describes the stages in developing MK, praising the good points of the Master Plan, in particular its flexibility and the inclusion of a Social Development Plan. He mentions early problems with the Housing Cost Yardstick, and the issue of environmental concerns; but says: ‘I have never had the slightest doubt of the validity and success of what’s become Milton Keynes’. Bill eventually became Director of Planning for MKDC, leaving in 1975 to work on planning development of an existing city in Auckland, New Zealand. Looking forward, Bill believes that proposals for new towns are now likely to be met with more refusals and delays. He concludes by discussing a range of new ideas about urban organisation: from the self-organising system, to 3D-printed buildings. He says: ‘Building places like Milton Keynes give us so many opportunities …to create different kinds of environments in which people can be more fulfilled ‘. The talk is followed by questions from the audience, several about Pooleyville and public transport systems. Asked for his view on the expansion of MK, Bill considers there is room to expand, but suggests limits should be put on its extent.