Matthew Pennycook has publicly restated the new towns programme commitment under Andy Burnham’s premiership, telling a House of Lords Built Environment Committee that the government remains focused on getting spades in the ground on at least three new or expanded settlements before the end of this parliament.
Pennycook, speaking on 1 September, acknowledged that several announcements had been ‘slightly set back’ following the change in prime minister, but was direct in his insistence that momentum had not been lost. ‘Government is going through a transition with a new prime minister,’ he said, ‘and we’ve had a variety of announcements that were slightly set back, where we’ve had to recalibrate [but] we remain committed to the manifesto commitments in respect of the new towns programme.’
Three priority sites and the new towns programme commitment
In March, the government published a draft list of new town locations described as ‘well-connected new communities with homes, jobs, schools, green space and transport links planned from the start’. The former Tempsford airfield in Bedfordshire, Crews Hill near Enfield, and Leeds South Bank were identified as the three locations with the strongest prospect of delivery within this parliament. A seventh proposed location at Milton Keynes would be expanded to add 40,000 more homes.
A consultation on those plans closed in May, before Burnham replaced Starmer in July. Pennycook told the Lords committee the government was still working through its response to the views gathered. ‘If we had published a response two weeks after the consultation closed, you would be asking why we didn’t give due consideration to the feedback received,’ he said. The government ‘remains absolutely committed to the programme’ and to delivering spades in the ground on at least three sites in this parliament, he added.
According to GOV.UK, the government intends to publish a bespoke New Towns Planning Policy setting out plan-making and decision-making policies, including specific provisions for new town proposals that involve Green Belt land. That policy will be aligned with the latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and Pennycook told the committee the two documents would be ‘complementary’, with the planning policy statement going into detail on the placemaking principles recommended by the New Towns Taskforce.
The same GOV.UK consultation document also confirms that, in December 2024, the government implemented a new standard method for assessing local housing needs, calibrated to support the government’s ambition for 1.5 million new homes over this parliament. The new towns programme sits within that broader framework, with each of the next generation of settlements expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, most aiming for considerably more, amounting to a combined total of around 200,000 homes across the seven locations.
Design, innovation and modern methods of construction
Beyond the planning and policy mechanics, Pennycook framed the new towns programme as a test bed for cross-government innovation. He asked how departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care might pilot ‘innovative approaches to public health’ within new settlements, and how ‘cutting-edge thinking from each department’ could inform the design of infrastructure and amenities from the outset.
On build-stage technology, Pennycook highlighted the ongoing rollout of modern methods of construction (MMC), including timber frame, and confirmed that a joint venture with Vistry Group was being used to boost MMC-delivered housing supply. The government is also working with over 20 local authorities to develop a pattern book of standard house designs, a move aimed at improving consistency and quality across large-scale residential delivery.
Several practices are already engaged across sites that share characteristics with the new towns ambition. Maccreanor Lavington holds roles on both Victoria North in Manchester, alongside Hawkins\Brown, and Thamesmead in south-east London. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios is leading the masterplan for Brabazon, the former Filton Airfield in north Bristol.
Pennycook was clear that the delivery vehicle for each new town would be ‘very, very site specific’, reflecting the different characteristics and land ownership arrangements at each location. ‘We will get spades in the ground, we will get homes delivered,’ he said. ‘The weight of government is behind it.’
In parallel, the government has named the areas that will receive a share of nearly £10 billion in affordable homes funding as the first wave of a larger funding pot, alongside new powers for regional mayors to overrule local councils on planning decisions, providing further levers to accelerate delivery beyond the new towns programme itself.
