Seven new town sites proposed by government: our response
CPRE has given a cautious welcome to six of the the government’s seven proposed new town locations.
We are pleased that the majority of the proposed sites are brownfield or regeneration-led — including Manchester Victoria North, Leeds South Bank, Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, Milton Keynes and Tempsford. We’re also pleased to see that some less suitable sites (including Adlington) are not going to be taken forward as New Towns. However, we’re concerned that these haven’t been ruled out for development either. Instead, they appear to have been placed in a holding category that could see them brought forward for large-scale housing through other routes — with less scrutiny and fewer guarantees on infrastructure or affordability than a formal new town would require.
We also have serious doubts about the suitability of two of the proposed London locations — Crews Hill and Chase Park site in Enfield — which would involve building on Green Belt land. CPRE London has made its opposition clear on these locations. There is sufficient brownfield land in London that should be prioritised for development first — and any new homes built in the capital must be genuinely affordable, to help address the city’s acute housing and homelessness crisis. We also have reservations about the Thamesmead site and will be responding to the public consultation to ensure London’s existing land and housing needs are addressed in the right way.
Well-planned new towns have the potential to create nature-rich, thriving communities with high connectivity and clean energy homes that people can afford. To achieve this, we want to ensure that sites meet our principles for new towns done well. That means making sure that commitments on affordable homes are met, and that homes are built to net zero standards. It also means that infrastructure — such as schools, public transport links and shops — is built first.
We will engage with the consultation, which is open until 19 May, to help shape sustainable new towns that protect the countryside and create the thriving, nature-rich, well-connected and affordable places and communities that people need.
