BID3 Consultation Launched at Member Event Showcasing Future of Milton Keynes City Centre

On Tuesday evening, MyMiltonKeynes BID formally launched its consultation for a third term at a member event held at MK Gallery.

The evening brought together a strong cross‑section of city centre businesses alongside key speakers involved in shaping major investment, development and infrastructure projects.

A city with momentum

Titled Progress, Plans and Potential, the event highlighted both the progress made across the city centre and the significant pipeline of change expected over the coming years.

In her opening remarks, BID Chair Diane Wehrle spoke about the evolution of Milton Keynes City Centre and the increasing importance of partnership working and collective investment in supporting successful places.

Launching the BID3 consultation

BID Chief Executive Jill Farnsworth reflected on the impact of the BID since its introduction in 2017, including more than £9.5 million of investment into the city centre through business contributions and partnership funding.

She reinforced that while expectations of city centres continue to rise, public sector resources are under pressure, making it more important than ever for businesses to work together to maintain standards and realise opportunity.

She highlighted how the BID will continue to address core issues such as safety and the public realm, while playing a broader role in promoting the city centre, encouraging footfall and supporting businesses through a changing retail and leisure landscape.

Looking ahead, she outlined the BID’s proposed priorities for the next term, focused on promoting the city centre, maintaining day‑to‑day standards, strengthening business connections, and ensuring the business voice is represented in decisions shaping the future of the area.

The BID3 Consultation Document, 'MK City Centre: Investing Together, Planning the Next Five Years' can be found here.

Insight from major projects

A series of guest speakers shared updates on some of the most significant developments affecting the region.

Gidon Freeman from Universal Destinations & Experiences spoke about the ambition behind the proposed Universal Studios development in Bedfordshire, describing it as a project with the potential to deliver major economic impact across the wider region.

Ed Leech from East West Rail provided an overview of the proposed railway linking Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, highlighting how improved connectivity will make the city more accessible to both businesses and visitors.

Ian Pulford, Chief Executive Officer at Smart City Consultancy, spoke about the autonomous vehicle trial currently operating in the city centre and the ambition for this technology to evolve into a new form of public transport connecting people to key destinations. He brought an array of his robots and two shuttles to the event for people to try out.

Attendees also heard from Paul Thomas, Director of Planning and Place Shaping at

Milton Keynes City Council, who set out the broader growth plans for the city, placing city centre development within that wider vision. He also filled us in on the latest on CMK:Live the new 4000 capacity events venue planned for the Old Bus Station, with an expected opening date of 2029.

Looking ahead

With major investment and development on the horizon, the event reinforced a strong sense of confidence in the future of Milton Keynes City Centre.

It also underlined the role of the BID in helping to connect businesses to the opportunities emerging from that growth, ensuring the city centre is not only well managed, but well positioned for what comes next.

The consultation document is now available to download, setting out the BID’s proposed programme in more detail ahead of a ballot later this year.

Businesses are encouraged to review the plans and share any concerns before the final five year Business Plan is prepared, ready for its launch in September.