Milton Keynes City Council required an updated retail and commercial leisure evidence base to inform its Local Plan to 2050.
Nexus prepared the Milton Keynes Retail and Commercial Leisure Study, assessing existing retail and leisure provision, forecasting future needs across the city and analysing national retail trends, including the growth of online shopping and increasing demand for experience-led town centres.
A household survey was used to understand where residents shop and how much expenditure is retained within Milton Keynes. The study also considered hotel capacity and the potential impact of major tourism and visitor growth on future accommodation needs.
Study scopeNexus assessed shopping patterns, expenditure retention, population growth, spending growth and the performance of centres across Milton Keynes.
The findings indicated that existing convenience retail provision is generally sufficient, with limited need for additional floorspace. However, population growth and increased spending are expected to generate demand for additional comparison retail over the long term.
For commercial leisure, most facilities such as cinemas and entertainment venues were considered adequate, but the study identified a shortfall in restaurants, cafés and bars as the city expands.
The study provided Milton Keynes City Council with a robust evidence base to support the Local Plan to 2050 and guide future planning for retail, commercial leisure, town centres and hotel provision.
It identified that existing hotel provision is likely to be sufficient under a low-growth scenario, but that additional hotel accommodation may be required under a higher-growth scenario, particularly in Central Milton Keynes and key strategic locations.
The evidence will help ensure the city’s retail, leisure and accommodation offer keeps pace with population growth, economic expansion, tourism, business travel and large-scale events.
