Government unveils plans for next generation of new towns
February 13, 2025
- Over 100 sites across England have come forward to be considered for next generation of new towns
- Government on track to create beautiful communities, provide affordable homes, and deliver much needed infrastructure, including schools and nurseries, GP surgeries, and bus routes
- By taking on the blockers, 20,000 homes, along with new schools and health facilities, will move forward following government action, and we will now turn to unblock the remaining 700,000 homes across 350 sites
- Comes as government rolls out major planning reforms to sweep away the blockers and push through its housebuilding agenda as part of the Plan for Change
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark comments,
“Propertymark welcomes the proposal to deliver housing in the format of building new towns across England. We look forward to hearing further details on precise locations, as they must fully enhance and complement the regions where they will be built.
“It is encouraging to hear that sustaining infrastructure, such as education and health facilities, will be closely integrated within the master plan for each proposed town, as all too often sizable developments can be built without reasonable supporting arrangements.
“The UK Government must work closely with key stakeholders to ensure each new town brings a diverse mix of properties, all capable of delivering the right combination of homes to meet the needs of household and age demographic requirements in the areas they will be placed.”
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said:
“New Towns are key to solving the housing crisis as they can set affordable price points for homes, attract businesses with the promise of strategic employment land, and build all things a community needs to ensure housing and infrastructure are not competing for limited land availability.
The Government should be commended for taking on the NIMBYs to deliver new towns, and it will greatly help them toward their 1.5m home target and delivery of sustainable and strategic growth.”
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy at the NFB, said:
“New Towns are an opportunity to support SMEs by allocating sites specifically for them, which is important for housing diversification and because 73% of construction apprentices are trained by SMEs, who typically employ within 20 miles of their head offices. This makes SMEs key to reducing a reliance on immigrant labour and ensuring people have good careers.
Supporting SMEs through new town planning would also rectify some of the criticisms made by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) about the planning system being anti-competitive and so reducing the quality and variety of new homes, while also being the reason SME market share continues to drop.”
You May Also Enjoy
Breaking Property News 27/10/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Who controls the infrastructure, data and intelligence that runs inside commercial buildings? By Author Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR Commercial real estate owners have invested heavily in technology to improve building operations, connect tenants and monitor performance. Yet behind the growing number of systems…
Read More 
35% of UK homes are in postcode areas where house prices are falling
House price falls spread to a third of homes as sellers face growing competition for buyers More than a third (35 per cent) of UK homes are in postcode areas where house prices are falling, up from 12 per cent a year ago Price falls are concentrated in London and the South East where 85…
Read More 
Budget wishlist
Kevin Shaw, National Sales Managing Director at LRG With the Budget just days away, the property market is in a slightly better place than it was this time last year. Stamp Duty has been ruled out of this year’s changes, which removes the kind of speculation that held buyers and sellers back last autumn. The…
Read More 
Autumn Budget 2026: Property industry experts comment
Ahead of Wednesday’s Autumn Budget, property industry experts from across the residential sales, lettings, land and property development, mortgage finance and client money protection sectors have shared their predictions, priorities and warnings for the Chancellor. With speculation surrounding property taxation, first-time buyer support, landlord investment, inheritance tax and housebuilding, industry leaders outline what Wednesday’s announcements…
Read More 
5 Renovations That Can Transform a Property Before It Goes on the Market
Ask a vendor what they plan to fix before listing and the answer is often too ambitious. A loft conversion won’t be finished in time, and it rarely pays back on a quick sale. The changes that actually move a listing are smaller and cheaper, and they show up in the photos. Here are five…
Read More 
Seven things to do if a tree damages your property
Storm Austen and Storm Boelo are bringing strong winds and heavy rain across the UK this weekend, meaning homeowners could find themselves dealing with fallen trees, damaged roofs, crushed cars and difficult conversations with neighbours about who should pay. But what should you do if a neighbour’s tree comes crashing through your roof? Will your…
Read More