Expert taskforce launched to plan fresh generation of new towns

An expert taskforce is being launched to spearhead Labour’s plans for a fresh generation of new towns.

The towns, which the new Government says will create communities of at least 10,000 homes each, are billed as a part of the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war period.

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, has asked two experts to lead the independent New Towns Taskforce.

Its chair, Sir Michael Lyons, has played leading roles in regeneration development company the English Cities Fund, as well as in local government, and has sat on the board of housing developers.

Deputy chair Dame Kate Barker is a housing economist who also chairs a major universities pension scheme and was an external member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee between 2001 and 2010.

While some of the new communities set to be built through the programme will be separate from existing towns, others will be urban extensions and regeneration schemes of existing places.

Ms Rayner has insisted the taskforce will “work together with local people to help us decide on the right places for these new towns, delivering more homes, jobs and green spaces”.

The communities will be governed by a “New Towns Code”, a set of rules for developers to ensure the towns are well-connected with infrastructure and public services, are well-designed, sustainable and are nice looking places.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s appointment of Sir Michael and Dame Kate comes a day after she announced an overhaul of the planning system to pave the way for 1.5 million new homes over the next five years to tackle England’s acute housing crisis.

Mandatory housing targets, scrapped by the previous Conservative government, will be restored and some low-quality green belt land will be freed up for construction under the plans, according to Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary.

She said: “Our new towns will deliver housing fit for the future, shaping new communities with real character that people can be proud to call home.

“With Sir Michael in the driving seat, I know his taskforce will work together with local people to help us decide on the right places for these new towns, delivering more homes, jobs and green spaces.

“We are getting Britain building again and our long-term vision for a new generation of new towns will enrich the lives of working people in the years to come.”

The taskforce is expected to work closely with local leaders, including regional mayors, all of whom apart from Conservative Lord Ben Houchen in the Tees Valley are currently Labour politicians.

Sir Michael will advise them on the right places for new towns, while also intending to listen to political leaders for their local expertise.

Over the next 12 months, the taskforce will meet with communities across the UK to hear about the design of developments, recommend locations for new towns, and then publish a report on the programme.

New Towns Taskforce chair, Sir Michael said: “A new generation of new towns and largescale urban extensions could play a significant role in the Government’s plans for economic growth as well as offering new homes on an ambitious scale.

“I am proud to lead the New Towns Taskforce to make sure new towns deliver on the Government’s vision and meet the needs of local people.

“Our mission begins today and we will work closely with local leaders and their communities as well as the wider development and investment sectors to make sure these new towns are built in the right places.”

New Towns Taskforce deputy chair Dame Kate said: “I am enthusiastic about working with Sir Michael on proposals for the new towns badly needed to enable more households to live in homes where they can flourish.

“It will be vital to ensure the locations will also support economic growth over coming decades.”