The Government has published the report from the New Towns Taskforce along with an initial Government response.
The independent New Towns Taskforce was appointed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in September 2024 to support the Government to deliver the next generation of new towns. The report from the taskforce includes recommendations on the potential locations and delivery of new towns.
The Government has also published an initial response to the report in which it welcomes all 12 recommended locations and its wider recommendations on delivery and sets out next steps for implementation.
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.
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 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:
- 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.
- 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; delivering green development and helping address London’s acute housing need.
- 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.
- 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.
- Inner-city development and densification in Manchester, Victoria North; supporting continued growth and attracting high-skilled workers to service the city’s diverse industries.
- A standalone settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon; strengthening the region’s labour supply and supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 city 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 and act as a model for sustainable, carbon neutral development.
The report from the New Towns Taskforce and initial Government response can be found here.
