More information on the consultation events that will be taking place in Bletchley & Fenny Stratford. 

Consultation Events

The official opening of the Redways took place on Friday 26 July

Redways Opening Event

Redway Opening Event

On Friday 26 July, the Town Deal celebrated the official opening of its Redway project. This project has helped deliver over 2km of new Redway links and increased connectivity to Central Bletchley, the Lakes Estate, Newton Leys to the Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve.This project forms part of the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Deal programme which seeks to drive economic regeneration of our Town Centres and promote more sustainable and active travel choices. This has been supported by match funding through several sources, including the Active Travel Grant.The opening event was delivered in conjunction with the Blue Light Safety event which was open to the local community and focuses on safety initiatives. This was supported by numerous partners including Bucks Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police, Environment Agency and Angling Trust.This project has been made possible due to the hard work and partnership working across several organisations. A special thanks goes out to the Towns Fund, Council staff, Town Deal Board, Ringway Hickford Construction, Bernwood Ecology and Network Rail.We now look forward to encouraging more people to visit the Blue Lagoon through the Councils extensive and unrivalled Redway network, providing sustainable and active travel links throughout the City.We hope to see you there soon.

Take a look at the plans for Queensway, Aylesbury Street and Saxon Street. 

Summer consultation design overview

Public Realm Improvements overview

Thanks to the Towns Fund and Milton Keynes City Council, we have an opportunity to create more healthy, attractive and thriving town centres in Bletchley and Fenny Stratford.&nbsp;Following community feedback, we are proposing changes that will deliver safer and more accessible pedestrian crossings, new street furniture and planting, safer roads, enable space for shops to extend into the public spaces and increase business footfall through a healthier and more vibrant town centre. &nbsp;&nbsp;It is important that we spend this money on the improvements that matter most to you. We want to hear your thoughts on the proposals for public realm improvements that are taking place on Queensway and Aylesbury Street, and on the works taking place on Saxon Street to help create an accessible and inspiring gateway into the Town Centre.&nbsp;Following the conclusion of this consultation, we will respond to all points raised and come back to the community with a &lsquo;you said, we did&rsquo; report detailing how we have considered your feedback. We will then commence detailed design in preparation for an expected construction start in Summer 2025. &nbsp;

Check out the following documents for further information

Public Realm Improvements to Queensway and Aylesbury Street

Our public realm improvements project will create a more thriving and vibrant town centre. This project, and the suggested improvements in our consultation, were developed to achieve the following objectives for Bletchley and Fenny Stratford:&nbsp;<ul><li>To improve the attractiveness of the town centre</li><li>To increase footfall and time spent in Bletchley and Fenny Stratford.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the safety of public space and reduce the reported incidents of anti-social behaviour and crime.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the link between Bletchley Railway Station and Bletchley Town Centre.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the health and wellbeing of Queensway and Aylesbury Street.&nbsp;</li></ul>The concept design shows a series of proposals which will help improve the overall appearance, attractiveness, safety useability of the Queensway and Aylesbury Street and deliver on all the above objectives.The city council considered several options for Queensway, including full pedestrianisation of the High Street (i.e. no cars) and retaining the two-way access. However, these options would not enable us to meet all project objectives and could not be delivered with the project budget available. &nbsp;The city council has identified a one-way approach on Queensway to &nbsp; best meet the objectives for the area.Please give us your feedback and thoughts by answering the following questions. Please note that designs are illustrative and will be amended based on feedback received.&nbsp;

Queensway

The Public Realm improvement projects seeks to address the following issues that currently impact Queensway and Aylesbury Street:&nbsp;<ul><li>Poor quality public realm influences perceptions of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford;</li><li>Lack of gateway experience and severance between the railway station and Bletchley town centre;</li><li>Support consumers to return to the high street;</li><li>Driving Improvements to health and wellbeing through high quality public spaces.</li></ul>The proposed investment will help deliver the following improvements:<ul><li>Reduction of carriageway width to enhance pedestrian circulation and space for cyclists</li><li>Enhanced pedestrianisation of Queensway</li><li>Measures to enhance personal safety and security (such as improved lighting, surveillance)</li><li>Providing safe and attractive outdoor places where people can meet and socialise</li><li>Creation of public space suitable for community events</li><li>Enhanced signage and wayfinding through the Town</li><li>Opportunities to &ldquo;green&rdquo; the high street</li><li>Provision of outdoor seating and rest points</li></ul>

Image shows a before and after shot. Location is the junction between Cambridge Street and Queensway, looking Westbound through Queensway. Lloyds Pharmacy building can be spotted on the right hand side (now closed)

Aylesbury Street

Image shows a before and after shot. Location is the junction between Aylesbury Street and Denmark Street (left hand side) and Eden Court (right hand side), looking northbound through Aylesbury Street. The Bull and Pitcher can be seen on the right hand side of the street.&nbsp;

Improvements to Saxon Street

Our proposals will not only improve connectivity between the Town Centre and railway station, but also relocate Bletchley Bus Station closer to Queensway, creating an area where people can more easily connect their bus and rail journeys and travel.&nbsp;This will be particularly important as Bletchley becomes even better connected nationally when direct journeys to Oxford and Cambridge (likely by 2030) become possible through East West Rail.&nbsp;The city council has set out the following objectives:<ul><li>To provide a transport system that makes it easier to get around, including by bus and train, that also complements the East West Rail proposals at Bletchley Station and supports sustainable travel choices.</li><li>To ensure a safer, healthier and more accessible transport network for all, including high-quality provision for those with mobility impairments.</li><li>To narrow the road carriages in certain areas to safely accommodate vehicular movements and pedestrian flows.&nbsp;</li><li>To help the businesses located in Central Bletchley, particularly in Queensway, by providing better connections to new customers.</li><li>Improve the attractiveness of Bletchley town centre as a place for new employment and for business to invest and locate.</li></ul>&nbsp;During the development of the design outlined in this consultation, the city council explored several options for designing an improved Saxon Street that balances the need for traffic movements, while improving pedestrian connectivity and wayfinding through the town. The design in this consultation was selected as it achieves this ideal balance, without significant impact on travel time.&nbsp;The Council have undertaken traffic modelling to understand the impact that the works to relocate the bus station, provide land for an eastern entrance and rebalance both pedestrian and vehicular use may have on journey times.Through this modelling, the team have assessed the current baseline situation (existing roundabout), future population growth and the proposed new design. The data shows that in the AM, the proposed designs would lead to an additional 14 second journey time between Sherwood Drive to Princes way and an additional 19 seconds in the PM to journey times (see table below).The Council believes this would help balance the needs of all users and enable the creation of a gateway experience.<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="456"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" valign="bottom" width="97.14912280701755%">Sherwood Drive to Princes Way</td><td width="0.6578947368421053%"> </td><td width="2.192982456140351%">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" width="32.675438596491226%">Scenario</td><td rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">AM Journey Time (s)</td><td rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">PM Journey Time (s)</td><td width="0.6578947368421053%"> </td><td width="2.192982456140351%">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td width="23.076923076923077%"> </td><td width="76.92307692307692%">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom" width="32.675438596491226%">Current Design (Brunel Roundabout)</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">60</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">59</td><td width="0.6578947368421053%"> </td><td width="2.192982456140351%"> </td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom" width="32.675438596491226%">Current Design (Brunel Roundabout) in 2031 with population growth</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">66</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">63</td><td width="0.6578947368421053%"> </td><td width="2.192982456140351%"> </td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom" width="32.675438596491226%">Proposed design in 2031 with population growth</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">80</td><td style="text-align: center;" width="32.23684210526316%">82</td><td width="0.6578947368421053%"> </td><td width="2.192982456140351%"> </td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;Please give us your feedback and thoughts by answering the following questions. Note that images are for illustrative purposes.&nbsp;

Saxon Street

The Saxon Street proposals seek to address the following issues that currently impact Saxon Street:<ul><li id="isPasted">Lack of gateway experience and severance between the railway station and Bletchley town centre</li><li id="isPasted">The opportunity to enhance active travel infrastructure to encourage model shift</li><li id="isPasted">The need to improve the attractiveness of Bletchley town centre as a place for new employment and for business to invest and locate</li><li id="isPasted">Forthcoming investment in East West Rail will deliver a step change in Bletchley&rsquo;s connectivity</li></ul>The proposed investment will help deliver the following improvements:&nbsp;Improving access between Bletchley Station and Central Bletchley:<ul><li>Narrowing of the Saxon Street carriageway</li></ul>Reducing vehicle presence:<ul><li>Improving access to the bus station and CEMEX site</li><li>Introducing interim traffic signals to avoid the need for buses to U-turn</li><li>Replacing the Princes Way Roundabout with a signalised junction</li></ul>Improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists:<ul><li>Improving the pedestrian crossing and Redway infrastructure</li><li>Extending the Redway to the Brunel Centre</li></ul>

Image shows a before and after shot. Location is the stepped access beside Locke Road and Duncombe Street (next to Brunel Centre), looking northbound through Saxon Street. Stephenson House can be seen on the right hand side.&nbsp;

Have your Say on Saxon Street Improvements

Survey: Saxon Street Improvements

Improvements to Saxon StreetOur proposals will not only improve connectivity between the Town Centre and railway station, but also relocate Bletchley Bus Station closer to Queensway, creating an area where people can more easily connect their bus and rail journeys and travel.&nbsp;This will be particularly important as Bletchley becomes even better connected nationally when direct journeys to Oxford and Cambridge (likely by 2030) become possible through East West Rail.&nbsp;The city council has set out the following objectives:<ul><li>To provide a transport system that makes it easier to get around, including by bus and train, that also complements the East West Rail proposals at Bletchley Station and supports sustainable travel choices.</li><li>To ensure a safer, healthier and more accessible transport network for all, including high-quality provision for those with mobility impairments.</li><li>To narrow the road carriages in certain areas to safely accommodate vehicular movements and pedestrian flows.&nbsp;</li><li>To help the businesses located in Central Bletchley, particularly in Queensway, by providing better connections to new customers.</li><li>Improve the attractiveness of Bletchley town centre as a place for new employment and for business to invest and locate.</li></ul>&nbsp;During the development of the design outlined in this consultation, the city council explored several options for designing an improved Saxon Street that balances the need for traffic movements, while improving pedestrian connectivity and wayfinding through the town. The design in this consultation was selected as it achieves this ideal balance, without significant impact on travel time.&nbsp;It is important that we spend the funding on the proposals that matter most to you. Please give us your feedback and thoughts by answering the following questions.

Saxon Street Improvements

Bus Station Relocation 

The proposals seek to relocate the existing Bletchley Bus Station closer to Queensway as we know that many people currently use Bletchley Bus station to go shopping on Queensway. This will help improve connectivity and wayfinding through the Town Centre and create a better sense of arrival.&nbsp;

Bletchley rail station potential new Eastern Entrance

The city council has an aspiration to create a new entrance from Bletchley train station on the eastern side, which faces onto Saxon Street. The design will protect sufficient land to deliver an eastern entrance in the future, better connecting the town to rail services.&nbsp;

Pedestrian crossings

The scheme will improve and upgrade the existing designated crossing points, providing better pedestrian connectivity from the train station to Queensway. This will give pedestrians more priority, helping to reduce speeds and improve overall safety. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The scheme design proposes the removal of the existing Brunel roundabout and the implementation of new traffic lights to help enable safe movements and improve the experience of Saxon Street for pedestrians. This configuration, informed by modelling work, is designed to help balance the movement of traffic through Saxon Street, with enhanced pedestrianisation.&nbsp;

Public realm improvements

The project presents an opportunity to make improvements to several public spaces, to the surrounding environment and to improve the pedestrian experience. This &#39;gateway&#39; connecting Queensway with the new bus station and future Eastern railway entrance is important for connectivity and local businesses.&nbsp;

Redways / Footways

Public Transport

The objectives of the scheme include improving accessibility to buses and trains, and, in the future, a new modern transport system (Mass Rapid Transport). &nbsp;

Narrowing of Saxon Street

To make the wider public transport and pedestrian improvements it is necessary to change Saxon Street. The layout indicates the carriageway will be reduced to a single carriageway for a section of the street. We have carried out detailed traffic modelling and can confirm this will not impact journey times to a significant degree.&nbsp;

Have your say on the Public Realm Improvements on Queensway and Aylesbury Street

Survey: Public Realm Improvements

Have your say on the public realm improvement proposals in Central Bletchley and Fenny StratfordOur public realm improvements project will create a more thriving and vibrant town centre. This project, and the suggested improvements in our consultation, were developed to achieve the following objectives for Bletchley and Fenny Stratford:&nbsp;<ul><li>To improve the attractiveness of the town centre</li><li>To increase footfall and time spent in Bletchley and Fenny Stratford.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the safety of public space and reduce the reported incidents of anti-social behaviour and crime.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the link between Bletchley Railway Station and Bletchley Town Centre.&nbsp;</li><li>To improve the health and wellbeing of Queensway and Aylesbury Street.&nbsp;</li></ul>The concept design shows a series of proposals which will help improve the overall appearance, attractiveness, safety useability of the Queensway and Aylesbury Street and deliver on all the above objectives.The city council considered several options for Queensway, including full pedestrianisation of the High Street (i.e. no cars) and retaining the two-way access. However, these options would not enable us to meet all project objectives and could not be delivered with the project budget available. &nbsp;The city council has identified a one-way approach on Queensway to &nbsp; best meet the objectives for the area.Please give us your feedback and thoughts by answering the following questions.

Consultation on Queensway public realm improvements

Traffic Flow

Parking

One issue that has been consistently raised to the city council from businesses and residents is inconsiderate parking. In the new concept plans, the street has been designed to prevent vehicles mounting the pavement and parking inconsiderately. A range of features will be installed such as planter, seating, bollards and raised kerbs to protect pedestrians on the pavement and prevent inconsiderate parking.&nbsp;

The City Council has previously received feedback that it needs to improve the pedestrian experience on Queensway to make people want to spend more time there. We are proposing to widen the current narrow pavements to improve the pedestrian environment and make the street safer.&nbsp;

The scheme proposed provides several designated crossing points and new continuous pavement crossings at all side streets. These will reflect changes in the Highway Code giving pedestrians priority, reduce speed and improve safety.&nbsp;

The proposals will maintain bus services to Queensway and the Princes Way stops will be retained to ensure convenient bus connections from either end of the street. Buses will no longer drive through Queensway and the Brooklands Road Stop will be removed. Impacted passengers will be served by the MK Connect on demand service.&nbsp;We will we also be installing new wayfinding signage and ensuring the footpaths connecting to all bus stops are clear and accessible.&nbsp;In the future, Queensway will be served by a new modern transport system called MRT, which stands for Mass Rapid Transport. This will in the future bring a clean electric shuttle bus service directly into Queensway as part of a city-wide initiative.&nbsp;

Active Travel

The proposals include widened pavements which could be used and shared by people walking and who are using bikes and scooters. The proposals indicate places to secure bike and scooter equipment and places to hire escooter / ebikes. Seating and other services such as delivery lockers could also be provided in these spaces

Healthy Streets initiatives

The scheme has been designed to include measures to improve the street environment and reduce air and noise pollution, and wider conflicts between the car user, street vendors, businesses and people spending time on Queensway.&nbsp; We will also be planting replacement street trees, introducing planting and improving pavements.

Stanier Square will become a multifunctional event / market space with power supply and flexible seating provided. Within the street, pop-up spaces will be created for community groups / start-up businesses to utilise and the improved pavement environment will encourage more businesses to provide spaces to their shop frontages, such as dedicated outdoor seating. This idea has developed following feedback from local businesses and the community.&nbsp;

The proposed scheme will provide a wide range of street furniture including flexible seating in Stanier Square. This seating will be integrated with soft landscape / planting features to make the spaces feel welcoming and comfortable to spend time in.

Aylesbury street: Illegal Parking

We will prevent pavement parking by installing a number of planters and bollards (where required) to prevent cars parking inconsiderately on the pavement and improve pedestrian safety.&nbsp;

Healthy Street initiatives

We will be introducing continuous crossings at all side streets and improving the existing crossing points in addition to making the street feel more welcoming by the introduction of soft landscape planters to deter illegal parking. &nbsp;

In 2020, Milton Keynes City Council were awarded £22.7 million for the regeneration of Bletchley & Fenny Stratford. 

What is the Town Deal?

Bletchley & Fenny Stratford: Town Deal Programme

Description:In 2020, Milton Keynes City Council were successfully awarded &pound;22.7 million as part of the Government&rsquo;s Town Fund, to deliver several regeneration projects in Bletchley &amp; Fenny Stratford. These projects are designed to capitalise on the emerging opportunities presented by the development of the Oxford to Cambridge East-West rail link, which connects to the Bletchley railway station.In order to secure a deal, local authorities, communities, businesses and local leaders were invited to work together and form a Town Deal Board to oversee the preparation of a Town Investment Plan that can set out a vision for their area&rsquo;s future prosperity and economic growth. A copy of the Town Investment Plan can be found below:Objectives:To drive the economic regeneration of towns to deliver long term economic and productivity growth.Projects:The programme consists of 7 projects, identified in the Town Investment Plan, which focuses on addressing the following themes: regeneration, planning and land-use; connectivity; and skills and enterprise. All funding must be committed by March 2026.<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="isPasted" width="1379"><tbody><tr><td class="oa1" height="51" width="16.533720087019578%">Project</td><td class="oa1" width="83.46627991298043%">Description</td></tr><tr><td class="oa2" height="104" width="16.533720087019578%">Revolving Development Fund</td><td class="oa2" width="83.46627991298043%">This fund will help facilitate the acquisition and re-use of key strategic sites around the area. The fund has enabled the team to acquire the vacant Sainsbury&rsquo;s site adjacent to the Brunel Centre.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td class="oa3" height="104" width="16.533720087019578%">Transport Hub</td><td class="oa3" width="83.46627991298043%">This will explore opportunities for upgrading Bletchley train station and providing enhanced connectivity to and from the town centre, capitalising on the East-West Rail route.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td class="oa2" height="75" width="16.533720087019578%">Public Realm Improvement (PRI)</td><td class="oa2" width="83.46627991298043%">This project will provide improved public realm along the main commercial streets, Queensway and Aylesbury Street. &nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td class="oa3" height="75" width="16.533720087019578%">Redway Improvements&nbsp;</td><td class="oa3" width="83.46627991298043%">This will provide new or improved redway links between the Lakes Estate, Newton Leys and Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve to Bletchley Town centre.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td class="oa2" height="75" width="16.533720087019578%">Technology Park Bletchley</td><td class="oa2" width="83.46627991298043%">Tech Park is about providing the delivery of hardware and equipment to support digital skills development for the town, helping to upskill residents and students</td></tr><tr><td class="oa3" height="75" width="16.533720087019578%">Transformation at Bletchley Park</td><td class="oa3" width="83.46627991298043%">This project will help renovate facilities at Bletchley Park to provide a new dedicated learning facility, with accessible classrooms and a high specification learning facility.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td class="oa2" height="75" width="16.533720087019578%">Active Marketing of Vacant Sites&nbsp;</td><td class="oa2" width="83.46627991298043%">We are proactively working with local businesses to promote Bletchley and support the development and growth of the local economy.</td></tr></tbody></table> Current Update (August):&nbsp;<ul id="isPasted"><li>The programme team are currently working towards an exciting programme of summer engagement, which will outline the regeneration plans, vision and aspirations for Bletchley &amp; Fenny Stratford.</li><li>The programme has successfully delivered three projects. The first is the Redways project, which has provided enhanced connectivity from the Lakes Estate, Newton Leys and Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve to Bletchley Town centre. The second is the Tech Park, which has provided an equipment investment at the South-Central Institute of Technology. And the third is the regeneration of Block E at Bletchley Park, which has provided new learning facilities and a brand new auditorium.&nbsp;</li><li>We are also continuing our proactive engagement with the business community, helping to reduce the amount of vacant business units and improve the vitality of the high-street. There are several initiatives planned to help support the business community over the summer months, with more information being posted shortly.</li></ul>

Town Investment Plan

Come visit one of our pop-up exhibitions

Between the 03 August and 22 September, the Town Deal programme team will be running several pop-up events in both Bletchley &amp; Fenny Stratford.&nbsp;Through previous engagement with the community, we have come up with changes that will deliver safer and more accessible pedestrian crossings, new street furniture and planting, safer roads, enable space for shops to extend into the public realm and increase business footfall through a healthier and more vibrant town centre. &nbsp;&nbsp;The purpose of these events is to speak directly to the community, take them through the draft proposals and make sure that these draft proposals are what matter most to the community.&nbsp;<table style="width: 84%; margin-right: calc(16%);"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">Date</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">Event</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">Time</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">14 August 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">Bletchley Library</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">10:00 to 15:00</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">02 September 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">Duncombe Street Community House</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">18:00 to 20:00</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">11 September 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">Brunel Centre</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">12:00 to 15:00</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">11 September 24 </td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">South-Central Institute of Technology, Bletchley&nbsp; </td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">16:00 to 19:30</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">15 September 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">West Bletchley Council Offices (Whaddon Way)</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">13:00 to 16:00</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">17 September 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">Bletchley Leisure Centre - **Cancelled**</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">13:00 to 15:00</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 36.0041%;">18 September 24</td><td style="width: 41.2471%;">South-Central Institute of Technology, Bletchley&nbsp;</td><td style="width: 27.0426%;">10:00 to 14:00</td></tr></tbody></table>Additional events are being arranged and will be updated on our Commonplace page.

Date	Event	Time
14 August 24	Bletchley Library	10:00 to 15:00
02 September 24	Duncombe Street Community House	18:00 to 20:00
11 September 24	Brunel Centre	12:00 to 15:00
11 September 24	South-Central Institute of Technology, Bletchley	16:00 to 19:30
15 September 24	West Bletchley Council Offices (Whaddon Way)	13:00 to 16:00
17 September 24	Bletchley Leisure Centre - Cancelled	13:00 to 15:00
18 September 24	South-Central Institute of Technology, Bletchley	10:00 to 14:00