(Commonwealth_Europe) The UK government has set out plans to push ahead with what it is calling the “next generation” of new towns in England, an ambitious housing and community-building programme designed to ease pressure on the housing market while shaping modern, sustainable places to live.
The announcement comes as an initial response to the work of the New Towns Taskforce, an independent panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, which was asked to assess how England could best deliver large-scale developments. In its report, the taskforce identified 12 possible sites across the country, recommending a mix of approaches including urban extensions, regeneration of existing areas, and entirely new standalone settlements.
For now, the government has signalled that three locations, Tempsford in Central Bedfordshire, Crews Hill in Enfield, and South Bank in Leeds, are being treated as the most promising. Ministers want construction to start on these sites before the current parliament ends, and more sites may be added if conditions allow.
To keep momentum, a new central body, the New Towns Unit, will be established. Its role will be to coordinate across government departments and agencies, clear obstacles to delivery, and test out new ways of managing such large-scale projects. The aim is not just to build housing but to learn lessons that can feed into broader reforms of how homes are delivered nationwide.
The task force has stressed that these new towns cannot simply be housing estates on a large scale. They must be genuine communities with long-term stability built in. That means clear delivery organisations to manage them well in the future and an emphasis on affordability. Each site is expected to accommodate at least 10,000 homes, with a target of 40% affordable housing—half of that reserved for social rent.
Before final decisions are made, however, the government will carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment to test the impact of the proposed developments. This process has the potential to alter the selection of sites for development. Any chosen location, the government has said, must prove it can be delivered in partnership with local communities, has a clear economic purpose, and will contribute to growth rather than simply add pressure to existing infrastructure.
Draft proposals, along with the environmental assessment, will be published for public consultation in the spring. Thereafter, the government will confirm which sites will move forward, alongside a full response to the task force’s report.
The shortlist of potential locations is spread widely across England. It includes Adlington in Cheshire East, the Brabazon site and the West Innovation Arc in South Gloucestershire, Heyford Park in Cherwell, Victoria North in Manchester, Marlcombe in East Devon, expansions in and around Milton Keynes, and Plymouth city centre densification. Also under consideration are riverside regeneration at Thamesmead in Greenwich and development around Worcestershire Parkway in Wychavon.
The vision behind these proposals is to create not just homes, but vibrant, sustainable communities where people can live, work, and build their futures. If delivered as planned, the program would represent the largest effort in decades to reshape how and where people live in England.
