Warm, efficient homes

All homes in the city will be upgraded to at least SAP80, whether they are Victorian cottages in Wolverton or newly built homes in expansion areas. Existing homes will have been upgraded over the 2010-2030 period using a combination of funding from utilities (eg. through CERT, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets), Milton Keynes's own carbon offset fund levied on selected new developments, central Government grants and householder contributions. No households will suffer from fuel poverty, so everyone will be able to keep warm and have affordable bills, even though nationally the price of energy may continue to rise to reflect true environmental costs.

New homes will meet or exceed national targets in line with current policies set by Milton Keynes Council and Milton Keynes Partnership. By 2015 all newly built homes will be zero carbon, achieving at least Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5. There may be shift towards higher building densities, including some flats with communal heating systems and generally improved links for public transport.

Homes will incorporate a mix of technologies to allow them to achieve the expected energy or carbon rating levels. However it is likely that:

• all homes will have at least 200mm of loft insulation
• all single family dwellings built since 1939 will have cavity wall insulation
• at least 75% of homes will have solar water heating
• at least 50% of homes will have micro-generation of electricity (mainly solar photovoltaics)
• a majority of new single family dwellings will have ground or water source heat pumps.

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Clean & lean industry and commerce

Milton Keynes will retain a mixed economy, combining light industry, services and the retail & leisure sectors. Its central location in England will ensure that distribution also remains an important part of the mix, and there will be improved rail links to main areas such as Fenny Lock, Kingston or Denbigh. Most freight into or out of the city will travel by rail or, to a lesser extent, in biodiesel (or possibly external combustion biomass) trucks.

There will be a greater emphasis on home working, and many local centres may have networking hubs, as much for social reasons to avoid isolation by teleworkers as well as to share services. Nonetheless the city will retain an economic vibrancy with the head offices of large companies. The retail and leisure sectors will continue to thrive, although there may be some restructuring of public transport to improve facilities for evening leisure activities.

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Innovative transport solutions

Although Milton Keynes was designed for the car, by 2050 it will have a much more diverse local transport system. Redways will be developed and opened to electric bicycles as well as conventional cycles and pedestrians. Local bus services will be developed, most likely with fuel cell buses although if central government funding permits a light rail (tramway) or trolleybus system may be introduced on core routes linking the city centre, the largest estates and other key destinations such as the hospital. Residents will be able to use the internet to find out real-time information on public transport and alternatives ways of getting around the city. Car usage for commuting will fall significantly, with a shift towards lightweight electric city cars, and scheme to encourage their sharing and pooling, but there will be public quick charging facilities in the city centre and main work places, as well as a limited number of battery exchange stations.

Travel outside the city will be based around rail. Passenger services will include direct links to Oxford and Cambridge via Bedford, as well as less frequent international services via the Channel Tunnel to Paris and Brussels. Few people will travel enough in private vehicles outside the city to justify owning bioethanol cars, although they will be able to be rented at main rail or bus termini. Petrol and diesel cars will be very rarely seen on the roads, although they will be seen at the regular classic car and motorcycle shows run by enthusiasts for old forms of transport.

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Energy Generation

Much of the energy infrastructure will be based around electricity - despite the improved energy efficiency of homes, offices and industry demand will be broadly constant over the next 50 years as transport takes up much of the slack and the use of gas, oil or coal for heat falls dramatically. As a result there will have to be a massive investment in electricity generation. Some of this will be building integrated - especially in photovoltaics. There will be a significant increase in the level of wind power, although it is unlikely that turbines much smaller than 5-10kW will be economic, so most will be situated in rural areas - there my be a line of turbines visible to the South of Milton Keynes along the Chiltern ridge. Nonetheless, the city will still have to import a large part of its energy needs. Much will be through the electricity grid, bringing power from around the English Coast: sourced from wind, waves and the tides. Some will be in the form of biofuels, both liquid and solid, but with steady demand for land for growing food, these will be seen as premium fuels only to be used when electricity is unsuitable.

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Do you agree with our vision?

This is a first view of how the energy economy of Milton Keynes may develop by 2050, in order to achieve the 80% cut in CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions now thought to be necessary if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change. It incorporates ideas from the Climate Change Liaison Group and their advsiros, but is not yet official Council policy. As part of the ThimkAgain! campaign we are seeking your views on whether we are looking at the best measures for the city and at the actions that the Council should be taking in the nearer term. If you would like to contribute to the debate, please visit our feedback page.

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