DSA2019 QUICK REFERENCE: 'GETTING THERE' - Development Studies Association

DSA2019 QUICK REFERENCE: 'GETTING THERE'
Venue
The conference takes place spread across nine venues: Berrill, Library, Jenny Lee, Christodoulo
Meeting Rooms East (CMR), Pentz, Jim Burrows, Venables, Hub Suite (Hub Theatre &
Juniper/Medlar) & The Lawn (if the rain stays away) on the Open University campus, Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA. See our Google map.
Getting from Heathrow airport to Milton Keynes train station
If you arrive at Heathrow airport, the cheapest option is to take the underground to London Euston
train station and then take a train to Milton Keynes central from there. The underground journey will
take about 1 hour and cost about £6 one way if you don’t have an Oyster card. Single tickets can be
bought just before you travel from the vending machines in the underground. See Transport for
London for details. If you have an Oyster card or contactless credit or debit card you can use that and
the fares are cheaper.
The tickets for the train from Euston to Milton Keynes should be bought online ahead of time to get a
cheaper price but make sure you can catch the train you book as if you miss it you will have to pay a
full fare to take the next train, so leave some room for delays. Prices vary on the time of day but you
can pick up tickets between £5 and £20. On the day tickets are more expensive.
For a quicker connection to central London from Heathrow, you can take the Heathrow Express to
Paddington, but this costs ~£25 one way, but it is much quicker and you have a shorter train journey
to Euston by tube.
Getting from Gatwick Airport to MK Central train station
From Gatwick you can either take the Gatwick Express to Victoria which is also quite expensive but
quick or you can catch an overland train that is slower but cheaper to Victoria as well. Then take the
underground to London Euston and take a train to Milton Keynes as described above.
For all other airport arrivals – check out this online journey planner which covers all public
transport in the UK.
Coaches & buses from airports to Milton Keynes
You can book coaches ahead of time to travel from the major airports to Milton Keynes Coachway –
see here. These might be cheaper than the trains but can take longer depending on road traffic. If you
have a lot of luggage then the buses can easier than trying to cross London on the underground! From
the Coachway bus station you will need to take a taxi or local bus to Milton Keynes centre as it is not
in the middle of town.
Getting to the conference venue from Milton Keynes Central train station
Many of you will be staying in Milton Keynes itself so you will probably need to move between Milton
Keynes and the OU campus each day to attend the conference. The train station is in the centre of
town and is where we have organised transport for delegates to the OU campus.
Free minibuses/coaches between Milton Keynes Central train station and the OU campus
There will be free minibuses and coaches (at peak times) for delegates to travel on between the MK
Central train station and the OU campus (in both directions) on Wed, Thurs & Fri.
There are both small minibuses running all day long and larger coaches joining them at peak times.
If you are catching the bus from MK Central train station to the OU campus, the smaller (16 seater)
minibuses will stop/wait in the drop-off area outside the train station. Look for a sign in the bus window
saying "OU minibus". The minibuses will drop you off outside the Berrill building where registration
takes place. These smaller minibuses will run Wed (09:10-20:50), Thurs (08:00-22:50) & Fri (08:00-

17:00) in both directions. At peak times (morning & evening) they will run every 20 mins and then
every 30 mins at non-peak times (middle of the day/afternoon). Note that on Thursday evening from
20:00 the minibuses will do pick-ups and drop-offs at Walton Hall at the OU campus, not the Berrill
building. Walton Hall is right next to the Hub Theatre & Jenny Lee building. They will still go to the MK
central train station in central Milton Keynes. See our Google map and zoom in on the Hub Theatre
and you will see Walton Hall marked.
At peak times the larger coaches will make the same journeys. On Wednesday there will be 1 coach
running from 1000 to 1330 and then again from 1730-2100 to ferry people from campus to MK centre.
On Thursday & Friday there will be 2 coaches running from 0800-1000 (both mornings) and then
again from 1800-2300 (Thurs) and 1530-1700 (Fri). These white large coaches will have “DSA2019
conference bus” signs in the front windows and the buses will have “Bill's Coaches” written on the front
as well.
The large buses will be waiting in a layby outside the Gym which you will see to the left hand side as
you walk out of Milton Keynes Central train station. These coaches will drop you off very close to the
Library and Berrill buildings at the OU campus. To be more efficient, these larger coaches will wait to
be about half full before leaving.
To catch the buses back from the campus in the evening, you will find them outside the Berrill building
or outside the Perry building (next door to Berrill). There will be signs and volunteers to help delegates
find the buses at the OU campus particularly towards the end of the evening events and the end of the
conference on Friday.
We will have a list of the rough times they buses will be making journeys for you at the reception desk
if you wish for a copy. But generally you should not have to wait longer than 20 mins for a bus at peak
times and 30 mins at non-peak. One-way journey time is 15-20 mins depending on traffic.
If these buses do not work for your timings, you can take/share a taxi or there are local buses that run
the route.
Public buses
There is a shuttle bus that is operated by Soul’s Coach that runs between the train station and The
Open University in the morning and in the afternoon (Monday to Friday only) (£1.50 each journey), but
it might be crowded. The shuttle service runs directly to the station (15 minutes). Pick up/drop off
points are on St Michael’s Drive (near the library) on campus and bus stop Y5 at the station.
Soul’s Coach shuttle bus schedule:
Depart Station                  Arrives OU    Depart OU      Arrives Station
08:50                           09:05         09:05          09:20
09:35                           09:50         09:50          10:05
10:15                           10:30         16:30          16:45
16:45                           17:00         17:10          17:25
17:30                           17:50         17:50          18:00
Service 11/11a and 12/12a (Vale Travel), Service 24/25 (Red Rose Travel), Service 70 (Arriva) public
buses run frequently from the train station to The Open University, also stopping near the library. You
can plan your bus journey using this Journey Planner.
More information on public transport in Milton Keynes can be found here. Tickets can be bought
from the driver and online, some bus companies have an app that you can download to your smart
device which will allow you to purchase an e-ticket.

By car
Search in Google maps or your satnav: Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA.
Info on arriving by car can be found on the Open University travel page.
Parking
There is parking on campus in various car parks. This operates on a first come first served basis and
is free. There will not be parking available in front of the Berrill building, except for any delegates with
mobility issues. If you have mobility issues and will be coming by car, please contact the conference
organisers at conference(at)devstud.org.uk and we can organise a parking space for you.
Taxis
There are several taxi companies operating in Milton Keynes, and of course you can use Uber. Taxis
cost around £8 per journey between OU and the centre of Milton Keynes.
Speedline: +44 1908 260260
Skyline: +44 1908 222111
Eezy cabs +44 1908 218 218
Taxi Butler service
There is a ‘Taxi Butler’ service in place at the Open University where a self-service push button called
‘Taxi Butler’ is located at the Berrill Reception Desk (N.B. NOT the conference reception desk where
you collect your badge and book!). Once you push the button a taxi will arrive at Berrill Reception
within 10 minutes. Please note that the Taxi Butler system is only available until 18:00, when the
Berrill Building is open.
When does the conference start?
The Reception desk opens on Wednesday 19th June at 11:00.
Where is the Reception Desk and when does it open?
The reception desk is located in the Foyer of the Berrill building.
Reception desk opening hours: Wed 11:00-18:00; Thu 08:30-18:00; Fri 08:30-14:00.
For those yet to settle their fees
All financial arrangements must be dealt with in the conference organisers’ (NomadIT) office in Berrill
Presentation Room on the Level 1 of the Berrill building. PLEASE NOTE: we will only be accepting
payments in cash (GBP).
NomadIT office opening hours: Wed 11:00-18:00; Thu 08:30-17:30; Fri 08:30-15:30 – but we will
close for short half-hour breaks during the day.
ATMs
ATMs are not close to the conference venue, we have marked the nearest ones to campus on our
map. But we advise you take out cash in advance of coming to campus or near the train station on
your way in. There are many more in the town centre near the train station.
Wifi
Eduroam credentials can be used for accessing WiFi at the Open University. If you don't have
Eduroam credentials, delegates can also use the free public network The Cloud by signing up or using
pre-existing credentials:
1. Select The Cloud from the available network list
2. Open browser and follow on screen instructions to register or log on
3. Once you’ve registered, you will seamlessly connect without needing to re-enter your username and
password.
Ask at Reception if you have connectivity problems.

Printing
If you need to print any short documents, take your USB memory stick to the NomadIT office in Berrill
Presentation Room where we’ll print for 20p per page; or email your file to the conference email
address.
Emergency contact details
Emergency messages should be sent to conference@devstud.org.uk. NomadIT can be contacted on
UK cell/mobile phones +447830289597 (James Howard).
999 is the official emergency number for the United Kingdom, but calls are also accepted on the
European Union emergency number, 112. Emergency calls are always free.
More information
The timetable, panel grid and map follow. Full information is provided on the DSA2019 website
(including the pdf version of the conference programme) and the printed programme which you can
collect from the reception desk along with your badge. Please note that the most up to date
information will be on the conference website, as the programme book went to print weeks before the
conference and will not reflect the latest changes (mostly withdrawals of papers).

Timetable
Wednesday 19th June
10:30-12:00 PhD Masterclasses - Not an open event - for selected PhD students only - all places are
full.
11:00-12:00 Global South scholars meeting
11:00-12:00 DSA Study Group meetings
11:00-18:00 Reception desk open
12:00-13:00 Lunch
12:15-13:00 DSA student members' meeting - all DSA student members welcome
12:15-13:00 Memorial for Ben Crow
13:15-13:45 Welcome and Conference Opening
13:45-15:15 Keynote Plenary 1 sponsored by Development and Change
Mahmood Mamdani, (Columbia University)
15:30-17:00 Panel session 1
17:00-17:30 Refreshments
17:30-19:00 Panel session 2
19:15-20:30 Development & Change sponsored Welcome drinks reception & DSA dissertation prize
award ceremony
Thursday 20th June
08:30-18:00 Reception desk open
09:00-10:30 Panel session 3
10:30-11:00 Refreshments
11:00-12:30 Keynote Plenary 2 sponsored by Journal of Development Studies
Robtel Neajai Pailey, (University of Oxford)
12:45-14:15 Lunch
12:40-14:10 Publication strategies for students and early career researchers
13:00-14:00 DSA Study Group meetings
13:00-14:00 Book launches
14:15-15:45 Panel session 4
15:45-16:15 Refreshments

15:45-16:15 DSA-OUP Book Series Update and OUP Book Launch Event
16:15-17:45 Panel session 5
18:00-19:30 Early Career Researcher Plenary Panel, sponsored by Oxford Development Studies &
DSA
19:30-22:00 World food social event
Friday 21st June
08:30-14:00 Reception desk open
09:00-10:30 Panel session 6
10:30-11:00 Refreshments
11:00-12:30 Panel session 7
12:45-13:45 Lunch
12:45-13:45 AGM
13:45-14:00 Break
14:00-15:30 Keynote Plenary 3 sponsored by Journal of International Development
Sheela Patel (Slum Dwellers International)
Panel grid

Map