UK Government names seven new towns for consultation
New towns are back on the table. The UK Government has named seven locations for potential large-scale communities and begun the process of asking the public what should be built, where, and how. Ministers describe this as the most ambitious housebuilding push in more than half a century, with places planned for everyday life rather than car-first sprawl. Source: UK Government.
What is actually being proposed? Each location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes over time, and some could reach 40,000 or more. The promise is that homes arrive with schools, health facilities, parks and public transport planned together so new neighbourhoods don’t spend their first decade catching up.
Here are the first four proposed locations set out by ministers. Tempsford, Bedfordshire, could see up to 40,000 homes centred on a new East West Rail station linking to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes. Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield would add up to 21,000 homes to help meet London’s need. Leeds South Bank in West Yorkshire is earmarked for up to 20,000 homes alongside the government’s £2.1bn local transport investment. Manchester’s Victoria North would deliver at least 15,000 homes and a new Metrolink stop to connect residents to jobs across the city.
The remaining three are inside and around the West and the South East. Thamesmead in Greenwich is planned for up to 15,000 homes, made possible by the proposed Docklands Light Railway extension. Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc in South Gloucestershire could see up to 40,000 homes close to advanced engineering and research hubs. Milton Keynes, one of the original new towns, would grow by around 40,000 homes with a ‘renewed town’ vision and a new local transport system to reinvigorate the centre and improve links across the Oxford–Cambridge corridor.
If you’re trying to picture the map, think of a north–south line through two powerhouse city centres-Leeds and Manchester-paired with London-edge sites in Enfield and Thamesmead, plus three strategic locations in the South and West Midlands arc at Tempsford, Milton Keynes and South Gloucestershire. The common thread is connecting homes to jobs and study options without long car commutes.
Timelines matter. Government says a public consultation on the proposed locations and draft planning policy will be published shortly and is due to run until Monday 18 May. Final choices are expected later this year after the consultation, a Strategic Environmental Assessment and any further environmental checks. Names for the new towns have not been decided.
When the consultation page appears on GOV.UK, you’ll be able to submit comments online. If you live, work or study near one of the sites, gather evidence on transport, nature, flood risk, school places, affordability and local jobs. You can respond as an individual, a student group or a school department; you don’t need to be a planning specialist to be heard.
Ministers say these places will be walkable with shared green space and lively high streets. The announcement points to new or improved rail and tram links-East West Rail at Tempsford, a Metrolink stop for Victoria North, a Docklands Light Railway extension to reach Thamesmead, and a local transport system to reshape central Milton Keynes-so public transport arrives with the homes, not years later.
The funding model is central to delivery. A new National Housing Bank is due to launch on 1 April with up to £16bn of financial capacity and a goal of supporting more than 500,000 homes. The Bank expects to attract over £53bn of private investment and offer lower-rate loans and investments so schemes can keep moving through the economic cycle. In parallel, £234m is being allocated to Mayoral Combined Authorities to bring forward 8,000 homes on brownfield land, including in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire, Tees Valley, the West of England, and York & North Yorkshire.
Who is steering the early work? Four interim advisers will support the New Towns Unit: Lyn Garner, formerly Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation; Ian Piper, former Chief Executive at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation; Emma Cariaga, Chief Operating Officer at British Land; and urbanist David Rudlin, principal author of the National Model Design Code. Government also plans to set up new development corporations where that would speed delivery, following lessons from Stratford.
Not every assessed site made the first cut. Six locations-Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe in East Devon, Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town-are not being taken forward as new towns at this stage but are still seen as credible development opportunities. Plymouth, for instance, will get bespoke support to grow a centre of excellence in naval technology alongside plans for better-quality homes.
On the politics, Housing Secretary Steve Reed frames the programme as planning whole communities-homes, jobs, transport and green space designed together-so families get security and opportunity. Chancellor Rachel Reeves ties it to planning reform and to tackling high costs that have priced young people out of home ownership. The incoming leadership of the National Housing Bank, Chair Peter Vernon and Chief Executive Simon Century, say they will use sector expertise to back large-scale, good-quality and affordable delivery.
What does this mean for you right now? New towns take years and build in phases, so this is not an overnight fix for rents or mortgages. But the consultation stage is where the shape of future places is decided. If your studies, work or family life touch any of these areas, your response can push for mixed tenures, genuinely affordable homes, strong nature recovery, safe cycling routes and reliable buses and trams from the start.
What happens next is straightforward. Once the consultation closes, ministers will confirm final locations later this year and move into more detailed planning, land assembly and infrastructure design. Keep an eye on your local council or mayoral authority as well as the GOV.UK consultation page. For now, the headline is simple: seven places, at least 10,000 homes each, and a clear chance for you to help decide how they grow.