 Listen to the programme
In our first programme in the Milton Keynes area Ian Pearce looks at some of the more adventurous ideas that could only happen in Milton Keynes and contrasts the dream with the harsh reality of life for some residents.  | | Ian Pearce and PY Gerbeau. |
The title, 'Caves of Ice' comes from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan" in which Khan's vision of a "stately pleasure dome" with "caves of ice". So we met domemeister PY Gerbeau in the Snowzone in minus 3 temperatures. PY has great enthusiasm for the whole Xscape project which is being repeated in Leeds. In Milton Keynes though the Dome is bang in the middle of town....for many it is now the town centre. This causes problems for the residents of the houses and flats that surround the centre. Only in Milton Keynes could you open your curtains and look out on a four storey Debenhams. The Xscape building dwarfs the South side housing and brings its own problem with noise litter and parking. The city centre residents have an amazing champion in Peter Tansey. He's the chairman of the residents association and is aged just 19. In the flats to the north of centre:mk Peter introduced Ian to Stephen Bridges. Stephen bought his flat in the boom years from the council. The other flats in his block were soon occupied by prostitutes and drug dealers and suffered from acts of vandalism. Some of the flats have been boarded up. The council have worked hard to improve the flats but Stephen has received a massive bill for the improvements.He is trapped. He showed Ian a rats nest, the rats attracted by the city centre food outlets. That's one Milton Keynes view Xscape's Nicky Griffiths has the other. "I live the Milton Keynes dream. I live in an energy efficient house with traditional features. I look out over a willow lake. There's a lovely old pub serving lovely food and I can cycle to work. I love Milton Keynes." | 
