Pastures New

Central Milton Keynes is like an out-of-town shopping mall. Underpasses, overpasses and self-contained shopping areas ensure pedestrians and cars are kept apart. On its outskirts, high-speed roads are littered with blocked exits and unfinished slip roads which wait for new housing estates and industrial units to be built. In between, housing developments with names like Oakgrove, Newlands, and Springfield fill the gap. The town has seen phenomenal growth over its relatively short lifespan - today nearly a quarter of a million people call it home.