The locations of seven proposed new towns have been named for consideration as part of the government’s ambitious housebuilding programme.

Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several delivering 40,000 or more in the decades to come. Built for the future “from the ground up”, the next generation of new towns will create well-connected new communities with homes, jobs, schools, green space and transport links planned from the start. 

The proposed locations are:
Tempsford, Bedfordshire — up to 40,000 homes built around a new East West Rail station, linking residents to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes

Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield — up to 21,000 homes helping to meet London’s acute housing need

Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire — up to 20,000 homes capitalising on the city’s economic momentum and the government’s £2.1 billion local transport investment

Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester — at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city

Thamesmead, Greenwich — up to 15,000 homes unlocking inaccessible riverside land in London, enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension

Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire — up to 40,000 homes at the heart of a world-class research and advanced engineering economy

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire — building on its history as one of the original new towns, to take forward the ‘renewed town’ vision to expand the city by around 40,000 homes and reinvigorate the centre with a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor

Housing secretary, Steve Reed, said: “People want real change – homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities. Our next generation of new towns marks a turning point in how we build for the future.

“From the ground up, we’re planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links, and green spaces designed together — so we can give families the security and opportunities they deserve.”

To drive forward delivery, four interim advisers have been appointed to support the New Towns Unit including Lyn Garner, former chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation and Emma Cariaga, chief operating officer of British Land.

Building on the success seen in Stratford through the London Legacy Development Corporation and elsewhere, some new development corporations will also be stood up to support the delivery of these new towns.

Alongside the new towns consultation, the government has also confirmed today that the National Housing Bank will launch on 1 April. It will be backed with up to £16bn of financial capacity and will aim to deliver over 500,000 new homes. 

The government has also confirmed additional support worth up to £400m over the next decade for subsidised products. This will enable both the National Housing Bank and regional mayors to issue loans and investments at lower interest rates and unlock housebuilding across the country.

The bank will be chaired by Peter Vernon, with Simon Century as its chief executive, andunlock over £53bn of private investment, and provide developers with more financial stability and certainty to support the delivery of over half a million new homes.

The government also assessed six further New Town locations — Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe (East Devon), Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town — which will not be taken forward as New Towns at this stage but are deemed to be credible development opportunities and may continue to be supported through existing housing programmes.

Furthermore, an additional £234m grant fund will support Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) to unlock 8,000 new homes on derelict brownfield land. Areas benefitting from the funding include Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West of England and York and North Yorkshire.

A public consultation on proposed locations and draft planning policy is open until Monday 18 May and will be published shortly.

Final locations will be confirmed later this year after the consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment and any further required environmental assessment. 

No decisions have been made on the names of New Towns.