Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
Labour should consider the establishment of 12 new towns in England that prioritize sustainable living and are not located on flood plains. This recommendation comes from a report by Nicholas Boys Smith, a former government adviser and the founder of Create Streets.
The proposal, developed by think tanks Britain Remade and Create Streets, outlines a vision for 550,000 well-designed homes that are strategically positioned to enhance accessibility to high-paying jobs within well-connected urban areas. The anticipated economic impact of these new developments could range from £13 billion to £28 billion annually, according to the report.
These proposed towns would feature abundant green spaces, including gardens, squares, tree-lined streets, and parks. The emphasis is on ensuring that green areas are either clearly public or safely private, avoiding ambiguous boundaries. Boys Smith argues that past efforts to create new settlements were characterized by sprawl and excessive reliance on cars, leading to unsustainable developments that lack walkability.
He advocates for a concept termed “gentle density,” which promotes compact living environments where residents can conveniently access essential services, workplaces, and recreational spaces without needing a vehicle. Furthermore, the report stresses that these new towns should avoid being situated on national landscapes, flood plains, or special scientific interest sites, while also ensuring robust public transportation connections.
“Having our daily necessities close to home encourages walking and cycling, facilitating a shift away from car dependency,” Boys Smith explains. “This shift enhances our mobility for work, leisure, shopping, or schooling, without depending solely on vehicles or public transit.”
The report identifies locations for these towns based on high housing demand and connectivity to existing and planned infrastructure, particularly public transport systems linking them to key cities across England.
Boys Smith expressed concern over the lackluster outcomes of government-led new town initiatives over the past six decades, highlighting issues such as inadequate housing supply, poor planning, and aesthetic shortcomings of many completed projects. He calls for a more ambitious approach to ensure that new developments do not replicate the mistakes of the past.
This proposal coincides with increasing pressure on Labour to fully implement the Future Homes Standard, which mandates that new homes be equipped with effective insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels aimed at reducing carbon emissions and lowering heating costs.
According to Sam Richards, CEO of Britain Remade, designing at gentle densities can create more homes on less land while contributing to lower emissions, given that urban residents typically generate 50% less carbon than those in rural areas.
Proposed New Towns
● Greater Cambridge: A planned expansion to provide additional homes and innovation spaces.
● Tempsford, Bedfordshire: A new town with excellent connections to Cambridge, Oxford, and central London.
● Winslow, Buckinghamshire: A development that could complement the nearby town and benefit from the restored East West Rail link to Oxford and Milton Keynes.
● Cheddington, Buckinghamshire: A town along the west coast mainline that will see increased capacity when HS2 is operational.
● Salfords, Surrey: Designed to alleviate housing shortages in Brighton and London, while funding improvements to local transport infrastructure.
● Greater Oxford: An expansion aimed at creating more housing and spaces for innovation.
● Iver, Buckinghamshire: Featuring ample land adjacent to two Elizabeth Line stations.
● Hatfield Peverel, Essex: A town planned to be “mirrored” across the railway line with good transport links.
● Bristol Extension: A solution to the housing crisis in the southwest through development in a densely regulated green belt.
● Chippenham, Wiltshire: A gradual, gentle density expansion to the east of the market town.
● York: An extension to connect the city to its ring road and address significant housing shortages in the north.
● Arden Cross (Birmingham Interchange): A new town planned near the HS2 station, adjacent to an airport and key roadway connections.
Source
www.theguardian.com