Plans to develop one of the most sustainable office buildings in the country were given the green light as Network Rail's new national centre received the stamp of approval from Milton Keynes' planning authority.

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.

The 400,000 sq ft building will be constructed on the site of a former hockey stadium, revitalising an underused corner of Central Milton Keynes. Commenting on the decision, 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.

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"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."

Construction on site is expected to start in August, with the building scheduled to open in 2012. The design for the new building includes a host of eco-friendly features including extensive 'living roofs' which will encourage diverse habitats for flora and fauna in the centre of the city and a rainwater harvesting system which will be used to flush toilets and irrigate landscaping.

(CD/BMcC)