We respond to government’s new towns announcement

The government has announced that the construction of three new towns will commence before the next general election.

Responding to the government’s new towns announcement, CPRE’s Chief Executive, Roger Mortlock, said:

‘CPRE recognises that well-designed new towns with proper infrastructure have a role to play. Yet with growing pressure on our finite land, all development, including new towns, should follow a brownfield-first approach, led by targets. Too many of these sites will needlessly see great swathes of countryside and the Green Belt lost to development while the list of brownfield sites grows.

‘Many rural communities on this list are already faced with a huge hike in housing numbers following the government’s recalculation of the formula, unrelated to local housing need or demand. Faced with a new town, housing targets in these areas should be radically reduced to reflect the huge changes to their communities that a new town will bring.

‘The focus in the Taskforce’s report on urban regeneration, a new approach to housing density and affordable housing is welcome, but the definition of affordable needs rethinking and matching to local incomes if it is to tackle the housing crisis.

‘There is a massive opportunity to rethink how we build new places, faced with the climate and nature crises, that still needs more emphasis. Putting nature at the heart of these communities is not the icing on the cake; it should be the starting point.’