Milton Keynes Council has bought the Wolverton Agora Centre meaning that the £32m regeneration of Wolverton can now move forward.
After over two decades of false starts, Milton Keynes Council formally completed buying the site from private sector owners over the Christmas period.
Ownership of the land and the return of the car park (which was on a long lease to the former owners) means demolition of the existing town centre building will now begin within months.
Demolition should be complete by Summer 2022, making way for the award-winning Love Wolverton scheme from developers TOWN, consisting of new homes, shops, streets, and community facilities.
Planning approval was granted back on August 5th for the ‘Love Wolverton’ project which will bring new homes, community space, independent shops, green space and jobs into Wolverton, bolstering Wolverton’s High Street and offering a sustainable way of living.
Over the next four years, TOWN will be transforming and regenerating this important part of Wolverton, working with a design team led by award-winning architects Mole and Mikhail Riches.
The Council and TOWN will deliver:
- 86 new homes, with 31% being affordable housing
- Eight new shops for local businesses
- Car-free ‘little streets’ and a pocket park for residents and visitors to use
- A sustainable mobility hub, which includes an electric car club and bike hire facility
- An energy microgrid that generates two-thirds of the annual energy needs of the development on-site
Other improvements to the Town Centre will include a new town centre car park at St George’s Way to replace the former Agora car park, alongside public realm improvements and a public toilet.
Rob Middleton is the Labour Councillor for Wolverton Ward and the Cabinet Member for Resources, and has been campaigning for the regeneration for over eight years:
“This is a brilliant milestone in the regeneration of Wolverton. I have spent years consulting with residents and local businesses to find the best approach for the Town Centre’s regeneration, and I am pleased that we are finally making significant progress.
“Now that the Council owns the Agora, we can hand the keys to the developers and start work on the multi-million-pound development that will breathe new life into Wolverton, while also providing green homes and exciting spaces for independent businesses.”
He concluded: “The Love Wolverton project will completely transform the railway town, providing attractive and open areas for the community to meet. We will continue to engage with the community throughout the demolition and construction process, and I look forward to seeing the project progress.”
