The construction of three new towns will begin before the next general election, Labour has pledged.

A taskforce has recommended 12 locations in England for development, with three areas - Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill in north London - identified as the most promising sites.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed is expected to announce the plans in a speech on the opening day of Labour's annual party conference.

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Sites in Cheshire, South Gloucestershire, East Devon, Plymouth and Manchester are among those which have been recommended for development.

Where could the next new towns be?
The New Towns Taskforce has recommended 12 locations are taken forward by the government:
A standalone settlement in Adlington, Cheshire East
A corridor of development in South Gloucestershire, across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc
A development bringing together Chase Park and Crews Hill in Enfield, north London
Redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park in Cherwell, Oxfordshire
An urban development in the South Bank area of Leeds
New homes in Victoria North, on the edge of Manchester city centre
A standalone settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon
A renewal of Milton Keynes city centre and an expansion of its periphery, alongside a new mass transit system
Densified development in Plymouth
A new settlement in Tempsford, Bedfordshire
A riverside settlement in Thamesmead, south-east London
Expanded development around Worcestershire Parkway train station

These plans are all well and good, but it's pointless just building a load of houses without ensuring the accompanying infrastructure is going to be in place too - GP surgeries, Health centres, Dentists, schools, shops, public transport etc rather than simply moving in a lot of people to add pressure to already overstretched services (Sherford in Plymouth being a very good example)

A New Towns Unit will be tasked with bringing in millions of pounds of public and private sector funding to invest in GP surgeries, schools, green spaces, libraries and transport for the new developments.

The taskforce has recommended new towns are delivered by development corporations, which could have special planning powers to compulsory purchase land, invest in local services, and grant planning permission.

The Taskforce’s recommendations

The Taskforce’s report recommends a shortlist of 12 locations for new towns. In line with their remit, these recommended locations form a mixture of urban extensions, urban regeneration and standalone greenfield sites. The Taskforce has identified sites across a range of typologies that share core characteristics and reflect the government’s ambition for new towns to unlock economic growth and deliver housing at scale. Collectively they have the potential to deliver up to 300,000 homes across the country over the coming decades.

The 12 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 clean technology industries.
    Urban development in Leeds; catalysing on the city’s existing economic prospects and capturing the benefits of the government’s £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; 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.

Each of these new towns has been recommended by the Taskforce for its potential to deliver on the following objectives:

a. unlocking potential economic growth, including through encouraging greater labour mobility and job opportunities, and promoting growth where it is currently constrained by the cost or availability of housing;
b. accelerating housing delivery through the provision of new homes that people need, with a mix of housing tenures that support diverse communities and include affordable homes and high-quality social housing;
c. providing housing for strong communities with the necessary infrastructure, services, and amenities – ensuring residents have access to education, healthcare, transportation, cultural and sporting facilities, and green spaces;
d. creating environmentally resilient places that support the government’s net zero agenda through sustainable design, nature enhancement, low-carbon infrastructure, and responsible development, including flood risk mitigation; and
e. contributing to transforming the way that large settlements are delivered, including through longer-term planning and the approach to infrastructure provision and supporting the construction industry and related supply chains to expand and deliver more efficient outcomes.

We have been clear we want exemplary development to be the norm, not the exception. The next generation of new towns must be well-connected, well-designed, sustainable, healthy and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities established from the outset. The government therefore supports the placemaking approach recommended by the Taskforce and is encouraged by the aims of its recommended placemaking principles...

243. Commentators have observed that the higher proportion of city regions with mass transit in European cities may be linked to the abilities of these places to fund schemes by capturing the increased economic growth they unlock,162 without competing for national funds against priorities like defence or health. For example, Greater London was able to part-fund the 16 miles of the Elizabeth Line within its borders through levying a supplement on business rates for high-value premises, without a ballot, an option not available to other cities like Milton Keynes (see case below). Similarly, French local councils are able to charge a ‘transport levy’ on major employers, helping pay for services and new infrastructure while increasing the workforce available to those same companies.

239. Recommendation 37: The government should review the regulatory and legislative cost drivers for urban rail mass transit schemes and provide guidance on reducing costs for future schemes and new settlements. Identifying the right way forward will require detailed consideration with practitioners, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, and contractors who should be a central part of any review. The Competition and Market Authority’s upcoming investigation into civil engineering costs in rail and road should also consider this issue.

240. The Taskforce would highlight that Network Rail has already identified savings of £156m over 5 years for heavy rail by streamlining standards and regulations.159 A similar exercise for light rail and mass transit schemes should be undertaken to identify opportunities for cost reduction. This could include assessment of issues such as:
  a. The lack of standardised national urban rail mass transit construction standards, and resultant ‘gold‑plating’ of schemes due to perceived project or legal risk, or use of excessive heavy rail standards.
  b. The very high levels of utility replacement currently specified by guidance for light rail schemes, and whether this could be changed in general, or to reflect technology advancements such as the Very Light Rail shallow tram track, which avoids the need to replace underlying utilities.
  c. The need for multiple further planning permissions even where a project has been approved with a Transport and Works Act Order.
  d. A lack of ‘intelligent investors’ who can provide technical expertise alongside finance, and whether the National Wealth Fund, in its role as project financer, could work with transport authorities to advise on scheme optimisation, as for example the Caisse des Depots does in France for tram schemes.

These plans are all well and good, but it's pointless just building a load of houses without ensuring the accompanying infrastructure is going to be in place too - GP surgeries, Health centres, Dentists, schools, shops, public transport etc rather than simply moving in a lot of people to add pressure to already overstretched services (Sherford in Plymouth being a very good example)

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