England: Taskforce recommends locations for 12 new towns

The government said it is “determined” to begin building in at least three new towns in this Parliament and is prepared to progress work on a far larger range of locations if it proves possible. 

An initial response to the report welcomes all 12 recommended locations and its wider recommendations on delivery and implementation. The government response also states that at this stage sites at Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank look most promising.

A New Towns Unit will also be established by the government to progress development on new towns. The Unit will work with all departments and their agencies to ensure new towns are a test bed for innovation and to unblock barriers to delivery. 

The New Towns Taskforce, led by Sir Michael Lyons, was commissioned by the government to explore different approaches to large-scale development. In its report, the taskforce has recommended a mixture of large-scale communities including urban extensions, urban regeneration, and standalone greenfield sites should be built.

It says each new town should have at least 10,000 homes with an ambition for a minimum of 40% affordable housing and half of which will be for social rent. The Taskforce has also set out a range of recommendations for delivery, including the importance of accountable delivery bodies that are able to provide long-term certainty for communities in new towns.

A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) will be undertaken to understand the environmental implications of developing new towns. No final decisions on locations will be made until this assessment concludes, and preferred locations could change as a result of the process.  

The government will be looking for assurance that any location can be effectively and efficiently delivered in partnership with local communities, has a clear economic purpose, and will support economic growth. Different delivery vehicles will also be tested to learn lessons for how future large settlements are delivered and to contribute to a wider transformation of housing supply. 

The government will publish the draft proposals and final SEA for consultation in 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’s report.

The 12 recommended locations are:

1. A standalone settlement in Adlington, Cheshire East; to serve the growing industries in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy. 
2. 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. 
3. An expanded development bringing together Chase Park and Crews Hill in Enfield; delivering green development and helping address London’s acute housing need. 
4. Redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park in Cherwell; connecting to Oxford and building on the existing progress and commitment to high-quality placemaking; referencing the area’s past and supporting its future in innovative technology industries. 
5. Urban development in Leeds; catalysing on the city’s existing economic prospects and capturing the benefits of the governments £2.1 billion local transport funding allocation for the Combined Authority by delivering well-connected, high-quality homes in the South Bank to support the city centre. 
6. Inner-city development and densification in Manchester, Victoria North; supporting continued growth and attracting high-skilled workers to service the city’s diverse industries. 
7. A standalone settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon; strengthening the region’s labour supply and supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone. 
8. A ‘Renewed Town’ in Milton Keynes; reinvigorating the city centre and expanding to the north and east whilst reshaping the way people travel, by delivering a Mass Rapid Transit system. 
9. Densified development in Plymouth; evolving Britain’s Ocean City and capitalising on the government’s £4.4 billion investment in HMNB Devonport, Western Europe’s largest naval base. 
10. 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. 
11. The creation of a riverside settlement in Thamesmead, Greenwich; unlocking inaccessible land in the city and improving connectivity if the proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway can be delivered to enable the development. 
12. Expanded development at Worcestershire Parkway, Wychavon; accelerating delivery around the existing train station to help meet regional housing need and act as a model for sustainable, carbon neutral development.

Places for People Group CEO Greg Reed said: “The Secretary of State’s announcement on new towns this weekend is a vital step toward addressing the UK’s housing crisis. Naming twelve strategic sites and committing to 40% affordable housing and essential infrastructure sets the foundation for inclusive, thriving communities. 

“We welcome the focus on mixed-tenure housing, infrastructure-first planning, and community-led design – principles we’ve championed through our existing new towns projects such as Poundbury in Dorchester, Brooklands in Milton Keynes, and now Gilston Park in East Herts. 

“At Places for People, we build not just homes but sustainable communities. We build new towns with schools, healthcare, green spaces, and jobs to deliver lasting social and economic value. 

“We know that new towns are complex and difficult. Our experience at Gilston Park, a project with planning consent and strong community support but which continues to be legally challenged by one individual, highlights the challenge of even long-term and well-planned projects.

“To succeed with the next generation of new towns, the government must now ensure legal and planning frameworks are robust, streamlined, and supportive of long-term delivery. As the Prime Minister said, we need unwavering commitment to sweep aside the blockers and get homes built. 

“With our proven track record and community-first approach, we stand ready to be a trusted partner in delivering more new towns at scale and pace.”

Patrick Clarke, UK & Ireland masterplanning lead at AECOM, added: “Naming the 12 new towns is a significant milestone, but the real challenge will be delivering them at pace while ensuring they become attractive and sustainable communities people want to live in.

“New towns will fail if they’re developed in isolation from their neighbouring communities and just considered as plots of homes. Significant new infrastructure will be needed to make these communities liveable, and that’s what is driving up the cost of development. The solution is to embed social infrastructure – schools, leisure, green space – from day one, while also retrofitting and expanding existing facilities in adjacent communities to improve viability and make affordable housing deliverable.

“Success also lies in early, detailed input from technical experts so that issues like water, ecology and heritage don’t stall delivery later. Bat tunnels and newts may grab headlines, but the reality is that there are a whole host of other important consultations, reviews and mitigations that need to be made for projects of this scale. Attempting to tackle these assessments one at a time in a phased approach risks bringing new towns to a grinding halt.

“There won’t be a one-size-fits-all delivery model for these 12 new towns, but the Taskforce’s recommendation for a return to development corporations is encouraging given that these 10,000+-home schemes are incredibly complex, have multiple landowners and might need compulsory purchase orders. Homes England also needs to be empowered to use its new master developer role to de-risk the sites and work with local authorities to develop ambitious but deliverable masterplans, which will help to attract private financing and housebuilders.”