Over 100 sites are under consideration by the Government for building new towns as part of its plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2029. The Ministry of Housing has announced that the sites across the UK have “come forward to be considered for the next generation of new towns,” each of which will “have the potential to deliver 10,000 homes or more.”
The locations which have submitted expressions of interest have not been made public, but they are said to be “from across every region in England,” said MHCLG. The Department said: “They show local areas and housebuilders’ ambition to get on board to build the next generation of new towns – playing their part in getting Britain building and tackling the worst housing crisis in living memory.”
The Government taskforce will recommend sites to go ahead in a report due to be published this summer, followed by a “final decision” to be taken by Ministers, confirmed Secretary of State Matthew Pennycook. He told Sky News that there was the likelihood that some of the projects will include “some standalone greenfield sites.”
Pennycook added: “There will be a number of other urban extensions – big expansions of existing towns and cities where that is appropriate.” He said that as well as being “sustainable,” they would have to be “well-connected, and well-designed.”
The Government said that the plans will be supported by its moves to “take on the blockers,” which have seen 20,000 plans for homes “move forward” under the New Homes Accelerator programme which parachutes expert teams in to local authorities to speed up planning. It said that a further 700,000 homes across 350 sites were being targeted by the programme.