The plans for the next generation of towns have been revealed, with over 100 sites to be considered
The government has today said that they are on track to create new 20,000 new homes in a new towns plan, along with schools, nurseries, GP surgeries, and bus routes.
Attention is also being turned to the remaining blockers for another 700,000 homes across 350 sites, as well as a rollout of planning reforms as part of the Plan for Change.
Every new town has the potential for 10,000 new homes
The process has seen over 100 proposals for new towns across England as part of the New Towns Taskforce initial investigations.
Affordable housing, essential infrastructure, and accessible green spaces and access to nature are top of the priority list.
The Plan for Change has already helped to unlock 1,000 homes at Cowley Hill, Liverpool, and 1,100 homes and infrastructure at Wolborough, Devon.
Announcements have also been made on the National Planning Policy Framework, which is introducing mandatory targets for local councils to deliver homes, holding the potential for 370,000 homes per year, and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to remove blockers for infrastructure.
An extra £1m is being allocated to National Highways, Natural England, and the Environment Agency, among other government agencies, to speed up planning approval, while £2m is being given to the Building Safety Regulator to speed up processing of new-build applications.
“We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built”
Prime minister, Keir Starmer, said: “For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream. After a decade of decline in housebuilding, the impact is a disconnect between working hard and getting on.
“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about the security and stability that owning your own home brings. I know what this means for working people – the roof above our head was everything for our family growing up.
“We’ve already made progress in just seven months, unblocking 20,000 stuck homes. But there’s more to do.
“We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder. We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting no as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns.
“As part of the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era, our ambitious Plan for Change will transform the lives of working people, once again connecting the basic principle that if you work hard, you should get on.”
Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said, “We welcome the progress report from the New Towns Taskforce and look forward to engaging with their work on good place-making in particular. Our members have a vast wealth of experience and expertise which we are keen to share with the Taskforce. As well as new homes, jobs are a critical part of any new community and providing timely new space for new employers and critical infrastructure such as logistics in the new towns will be critical.
“The Government has responded to our calls to make the planning system more efficient and effective. It’s good that the Government is now looking at the impact of statutory consultees on planning applications. The need for a range of statutory consultees to be involved in granting approvals creates delay and thus uncertainty and cost, making some projects unviable. We are delighted that the Government has listened to the industry and taken action to address these issues. The additional funding for key statutory consultees is welcome and should help speed up the delivery of homes and critical supporting infrastructure and workplaces that make places economically sustainable. We’d urge the Government to be even bolder in streamlining processes and ensuring they are adequately resourced.
“It’s also important the Government moves as quickly as possible to give the sector policy certainty – in addition to the long-term housing strategy we expect a number of consultations over the next few months as well as key decisions such as the building safety levy rates. Swift action and decisions from Ministers on these are needed to build momentum for new homes and communities.”
