Expert Taskforce recommends 12 sites for new towns

The government has confirmed it will progress work on the next generation of new towns in England after an independent taskforce recommended 12 potential locations.

Ministers say they are determined to begin building in at least three new towns within this Parliament, while leaving the door open to advancing a larger number if feasible.

An initial government response welcomed all 12 recommended sites, highlighting Tempsford in Central Bedfordshire, Crews Hill in Enfield and Leeds South Bank as the most promising early candidates.

A new New Towns Unit will be established to co-ordinate development, act as a test bed for innovation and remove delivery barriers.

THE NEXT GENERATION

The Taskforce, chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, recommends each new town deliver at least 10,000 homes, with 40% affordable and half of those for social rent.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool yesterday, Housing Secretary Steve Reed (main picture, inset) said: “I am launching the next generation of new towns taking the lessons from the post-war Labour government housing boom… mobilising the full power of the state to build a new generation of new towns and restore the dream of home ownership to thousands of families across the country.”

The 12 proposed locations are:

A standalone settlement in Adlington, Cheshire East, serving Greater Manchester and Cheshire industries.
A corridor of development in South Gloucestershire across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc.
Expansion at Chase Park and Crews Hill, Enfield, addressing London’s housing need.
Redevelopment of Heyford Park airbase, Cherwell, linked to Oxford’s technology cluster.
Urban regeneration in Leeds South Bank, backed by £2.1bn in transport funding.
Inner-city densification at Victoria North, Manchester.
A new settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon, supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.
A “renewed town” in Milton Keynes, with mass rapid transit and city centre expansion.
Densified development in Plymouth, linked to HMNB Devonport investment.
A new settlement at Tempsford, Central Bedfordshire, benefiting from East West Rail.
A riverside community in Thamesmead, Greenwich, enabled by a potential DLR extension.
Expansion around Worcestershire Parkway, Wychavon, focused on sustainable development.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment will be undertaken before final sites are confirmed. Draft proposals are due in spring, with formal government decisions expected shortly after.