“I joined MKDC in 1975, and stayed until the end, 1992. It was the most productive and exhilarating experience, working in an organisation that was well equipped to do its job, well managed and full of talented people with great commitment and energy. I joined as a planner, involved in household surveys to find out what residents wanted, economic development to help provide jobs for incomers, and overall programme management to ensure everything was provided when it was needed, or even before. In 1980 I became Planning Director, then a Deputy General Manager in 1988. I got very involved in the overall mix of housing and amenities in each area, developing better energy standards for housing, and various projects such as EnergyWorld and the City Centre Church. Later on (as Chief Executive of the Commission for the New Towns) I helped bring the Theatre, MK Gallery and Xscape to CMK, and provided the voluntary sector with their city centre office base.”