Picture courtsey Network Rail - Artist's impression of new National Centre at Milton Keynes

Plans for Network Rail’s new national centre, one of the most sustainable office buildings in the country, have been  given the go-ahead Milton Keynes’ planning authority. (See our stories 8 November 2009 - Network Rail submits planning application for new national centre & 13 December 2009 - Network Rail announces key national centre contract)

The centre will bring together teams spread across numerous sites under one eco-friendly roof, improving the way Network Rail coordinates activities to build a bigger and better railway. Network Rail plans to house up to 3,000 employees at the centre, bringing new jobs to the area.

It will be built on the site of a former hockey stadium to revitalise an underused corner of Central Milton Keynes, and Network Rail’s plans for the 400,000 sq ft building were approved at a town hall meeting on 21 January 2010.

Chief executive Iain Coucher said: “Network Rail has made a big commitment to Milton Keynes in choosing the city as the home of our new national centre. Since making that decision we have been overwhelmed by the level of support we have received from all parts of the community.

“I’d like to offer personal thanks to the many hundreds of local people who took the time to speak to our project team or visit our website to have their say on our plans for Milton Keynes. Thanks in no small part to their feedback, we have got an exciting design for the national centre which will be one of the greenest buildings in the country and a stunning addition to Central Milton Keynes.”

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