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The government has published the recommendations of New Towns Taskforce, revealing 12 recommended locations for potential new towns.

The potential locations are a mix of what might be generally considered real new towns and intensive development in under-developed areas of exiting cities.

A New Towns Unit will now work 鈥渢o unblock barriers to delivery鈥�.

The government is determined to begin building in at least three new towns in this parliament, with sites at Tempsford (Bedfordshire), Crews Hill (Enfield) and Leeds South Bank identified as the most promising. However, the Ministry of Housing said that it was prepared to progress work on a larger range of locations if it proves possible.

The New Towns Taskforce, led by Sir Michael Lyons鈥�, recommended a mixture of large-scale communities including urban extensions, urban regeneration and standalone greenfield sites should be built. It said that each new town should have at least 10,000 homes with an ambition for a minimum of 40% affordable housing, of which half will be for social rent. The taskforce has also set out a range of recommendations for delivery, including the importance of accountable development agencies.

Strategic environmental assessments (SEA) have now been commissioned for each location. No final decisions on locations will be made until this assessment is complete and preferred locations could change as a result of the process, the government said.聽

The government will publish draft proposals and final SEA for consultation next spring, before confirming the locations that will be progressed as new towns soon after. This will be alongside a full government response to the New Towns Taskforce鈥檚 report.

The 12 recommended locations are:

• A standalone settlement in Adlington, Cheshire East; to serve growing industries in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as identified in the government鈥檚 industrial strategy.
• A corridor of connected development in South Gloucestershire, across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc; building in one of the highest productivity areas in the country with a high value research, advanced engineering and technology economy.
• An expanded development bringing together Chase Park and Crews Hill in Enfield, helping to address London鈥檚 housing need.
• Redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park in Cherwell; connecting to Oxford.
• Urban development in south Leeds.
• Inner-city development and densification in Manchester (Victoria North).
• A standalone settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon, supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.
• A 鈥榬enewed town鈥� in Milton Keynes; reinvigorating the city centre and expanding to the north, facilitated by a mass rapid transit system.
• Densified development in Plymouth, capitalising on investment in the Devonport naval base.
• A new settlement in Tempsford, central Bedfordshire; to maximise the benefits of East West Rail by building a well-connected new town in the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.
• The creation of a riverside settlement in Thamesmead, Greenwich; unlocking inaccessible land in the capital and improving connectivity if the proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway can be delivered to enable the development.
• Expanded development at Worcestershire Parkway, Wychavon; accelerating delivery around the existing train station to help meet regional housing need.

Industry reaction

Royal Town Planning Institute chief executive Victoria Hills said: 鈥淭he government鈥檚 commitment to a new generation of new towns is a bold step, and one of the most ambitious approaches to development in half a century. It represents an opportunity to think differently about how and where we create the places of the future.

鈥淗owever, while it鈥檚 good to see the government looking toward the future, it鈥檚 important to remember the lessons from the past. The first wave of new towns showed what can be achieved when government and planners work at scale, but they also highlight the importance of getting design, infrastructure, and community voice right from the very start. Public support for new towns will depend on learning those lessons and making sure they reflect the aspirations of the people who will live and work in them. Our members stand ready to deliver successful places and communities for now and many generations to come.

鈥淥ur research shows that people want to see a variety of organisations involved in delivery, new ways of planning and funding explored, and 鈥� above all 鈥� local communities given a genuine say in shaping their future.

鈥淚f this generation of new towns is built around those principles, they can become thriving, sustainable places that stand the test of time and capture the same spirit of ambition that inspired their predecessors.鈥�

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation (BPF), said: "The government鈥檚 commitment to the new towns programme, and to using all the levers it has to enable investment to be unlocked and public and private sectors to work together is very welcome. Development viability is under severe pressure across the country because of high materials, construction and capital costs, as well as continuing delays in the planning system and regulatory burdens, and we will need targeted and robust interventions to deliver. We share the vision for places that are highly sustainable, have strong connectivity and transport links, are aligned to the wider needs of the national, regional, and local economies, drive vibrant and sustainable high streets and offer a broad choice of housing across all tenures and affordability ranges.聽

鈥淏PF members have been building and managing places for decades, in some cases centuries, and are keen to play their part in building professionally managed homes for long term rent, mixed use developments for modern town centres, and the logistics and other critical national infrastructure that makes places work.鈥�

Matthew Evans, a partner in the planning team at law firm Forsters, said: 鈥淭he major question is who is going to fund and deliver the infrastructure to underpin these large housing numbers?聽 The power and the water, already under significant pressure, particularly in the south east, will need securing.聽 The road and rail infrastructure will be crucial.

鈥淎 mayoral authority or development corporation is likely to be required in order to have the strategic oversight to deliver this infrastructure.聽 Compulsory purchase order powers will also be required to assemble land and unlock difficult elements of sites. Are those powers going to be robust enough to deliver these homes at speed?聽

鈥淭he Planning & Infrastructure Bill proposes some tweaks to the procedures but do they go far enough?聽 This lends more credence to talk of Rachel Reeves considering a second planning bill with more aggressive measures to unlock the system.

鈥淔ew people will be thinking solely in terms of homes. Of course new towns will need schools, healthcare and community facilities too. As important now are the urban logistics centres we rely on for next-day deliveries and specialised housing for older residents. These uses need to be planned for properly to create truly sustainable development, which is the 鈥榞olden thread鈥� of the system.聽

鈥淭he government must be feeling the pressure over its much-repeated target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029. No-one thinks these new towns will come out of the ground fast enough to make a significant contribution to that target, but making this work is vital to a sense of legacy and longer term achievement.鈥�

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