Milton Keynes (City of Dreams)

[MrFlibbles]

Ok so we all know the standard stuff of basically its a soulless hole thats full of dual carriageways and roundabouts but...

I've had a promotion through work which requires moving to MK. I'm 28, single, and am going to be renting, budget up to about 550 a month, ideally furnished. The company is providing a relocation package so the cheaper it is, the longer i can essentially be living "rent free" at the companies expense. I dont see the point in relocating and then still having to commute, so ideally i'd liek to be within a 20 min walk of the office, Central MK, close to the Jurys Inn.

Any hints / tips / areas to avoid? What are peoples experience of living there? I have spent a couple of weekends there and the odd few days for work, but thats obviously not the same....

[nonplussed]

It's fine. Like any other UK city is has its fair share of scum and other problems, no better and no worse, in my opinion. Doubtless other poeple can contribute more, but one point to note - generally some of the crappier areas (estates) in MK are the ones that immediately surround the city centre. Therefore, your idea of a 20 minute walk to work might be a bit of a problem if you want to live somewhere decent. There may be exceptions to this rule, but generally, avoid housing estates immediately next to the centre.

[GreenV8S]

20 minutes walk would get you well clear of the nasty areas in the middle - be aware that some of the estates further out are cheap and nasty too. Suggest you go for a drive, it's pretty obvious which areas are best avoided. There is a bus service of sorts too, to you might have the option of avoiding that walk in winter if you like.

[motco]

City?

[Matt172]

if you want close to Jury's have a look at the flats around the hub, Mortimer Square, Rillaton Walk etc. there is a few on here www.squaresestateagents.co.uk

[Zippee]

Stick to the non-city side of the A5 and you'll be fine;
Shenley/Church End/Brooke End/Lodge, Loughton, Furzton etc are all nice.

Avoid anywhere with a chavvy sounding name;
Fishermead, Coffee Hall, Bean Hill, Netherfield, Neath Hill, Stacey Bushes etc.

There are also some nice flats built around the Hub (Jurys Inn) though it's not an especially quiet area and even from the top floors you wouldn't be shielded from noise.

[dazco]

motco said:

City?

Dreams?

[Mehdi]

Hi mate, i live in milton keynes! a decent area near city is Loughton, some parts are a 5-10min walk to the train station!!
and then its not to long of a walk to the city centre... or you could just walk to the rail station and catch a bus to teh city...
just try to avoid the likes of fishermead, oldbrook etc..

anything else, just ask.

[Established 1984]

Another local here, you will probably have to increase your budget a little to get a furnished apartment in the centre of MK, as has been suggested The Hub might be your best choice. You'll also be looking at paying more than that one to get a spot in the underground carpark.

Campbell Park at the other end the shopping centre is nice as well but if I remember correctly mostly 2 bed stuff that will be well over budget.

[kVA]

Also, if you don't mind a 20 minute walk, you might not mind a 15 minute bike ride as you can go just about anywhere on 'Redways' - cycle paths that don't use roads at all. Much bigger choice of nice places to live then.

[trooperiziz]

Established 1984 said:

Another local here, you will probably have to increase your budget a little to get a furnished apartment in the centre of MK, as has been suggested The Hub might be your best choice. You'll also be looking at paying more than that one to get a spot in the underground carpark.

Campbell Park at the other end the shopping centre is nice as well but if I remember correctly mostly 2 bed stuff that will be well over budget.

Just had a quick look at the rental prices round here, and £550 a month isn't going to be enough to get a nice place in a good area i'm afraid. Bump it up another £100 and you should be able to get somewhere decent.

Ideally for a new person to the city, the best place to live would be The Hub or one of the other new build apartment blocks in the city centre, certainly till you know the area well enough to work out where is best for you to live. I wouldn't buy one as they are (or were) massively overpriced, but rental they aren't too bad. £650 will get you a 1 bed apartment, maybe a 2 bed if the landlord is desperate.

Edited by trooperiziz on Saturday 3rd October 21:01

[sidekickdmr]

Hi

I lived in oldbrook for a couple of years, cheap rent, walk to town, nice pad/area!

Fishermead is the place to avoid tho!

I liked it there! One of the favorate places I've loved!

[MrFlibbles]

Thanks all, keep it coming!

I think the city centre perhaps isnt for me. I'd get irritated by the noise and I'd rather spend a few less £££ if i can.

The Oldbrook area looks ideal however...

[nonplussed]

MrFlibbles said:

The Oldbrook area looks ideal however...

..but it isn't. WIthout getting into slanging matches over what estates are good and bad, I wouldn't live there for anything. It's not the worst place in MK, but it's not good enough. IMO and all that.

[Asterix]

MK is actually a brilliant city to work and live in.

Has every thing you need, easy to get around, 30mins from London, close to Silverstone, some lovely countryside very close by and a good kart track

I used to live just outside in a village (Mursley) but have just bought in Middleton/Old MK Village for investment purposes.

I find that most people that slate MK haven't spent any time there.

I was back in the UK a few weeks ago and ate at the Blanc Brasserie in the Hub - great apartments and a great little centre.

[MrFlibbles]

nonplussed said:

MrFlibbles said:

The Oldbrook area looks ideal however...

..but it isn't. WIthout getting into slanging matches over what estates are good and bad, I wouldn't live there for anything. It's not the worst place in MK, but it's not good enough. IMO and all that.

I dont really wnat to stretch myself financially at the moment.... am i likely to get raped/stabbed/spat on?

[Asterix]

MrFlibbles said:

nonplussed said:

MrFlibbles said:

The Oldbrook area looks ideal however...

..but it isn't. WIthout getting into slanging matches over what estates are good and bad, I wouldn't live there for anything. It's not the worst place in MK, but it's not good enough. IMO and all that.

I dont really wnat to stretch myself financially at the moment.... am i likely to get raped/stabbed/spat on?

I think it depends - I had 6 months living in Bradwell Common (the end bit of that name should tell you what it was like) and I never had any problems and that is a real dump. As said, have a drive around and you'll get a vibe.

[trooperiziz]

MrFlibbles said:

Thanks all, keep it coming!

I think the city centre perhaps isnt for me. I'd get irritated by the noise

How much time have you spent in MK?

There won't be any noise living in the centre, it's not like other cities, it's extremely spacious and everything in nicely spread out.

People complain about MK having no soul, but it is a very nice place to live, quiet, acres of space, convenient, travel is excellent, surrounded by countryside, loads of stuff to do etc...

[pushthebutton]

I moved here with the same preconceptions last year.

I live around Oxley Park which is a new build area. I find it pretty handy all in all. It has every facility you could ever need. I would say that the center's slightly soulless . The bars and restaurants are almost entirely of the chain variety, but they are still nice. Surrounding MK are some really nice villages with country pubs / gastro pubs galore.

As someone mentioned, the Hub is one of the nicest parts of the town center. I wouldn't personally choose to live there though. The council tax is alot higher for a start and I don't think it's justified. London train links are good and I quite like the roads. They very rarely suffer from really bad traffic.

Edited by pushthebutton on Sunday 4th October 18:14

[CampDavid]

£550 won't get you too far IMO, though worth trying.

I rented a place in Old Stratford when I needed to live in MK. 10 minutes drive from the centre but a gorgeous old town. This meant I had a nice place with lots of greenery, some great local pubs and resterants (The Kardamum Lounge h ttp://www.kardamom-lounge.co.uk/is one of my favourite resterants in the world) while still being able to get to and from the city with ease.

If I was determined to live in the city one of the new cosmopolitan developments would be nice, though that may well be too far above budget.