"The top 12 regions have been identified on the basis of both capacity and potential – places where demand for housing is high, but where there is also scope to grow employment, improve infrastructure and rebalance affordability"
- David Churchill - Carter Jonas
Carter Jonas has identified the 12 most suitable areas in England for the development of new towns, following an in-depth study into how large-scale settlements could be effectively delivered.
The consultancy’s report, New Towns: Foundations, Futures & Finances, anticipates the work of the forthcoming New Towns Taskforce and presents an independent shortlist of locations. Each proposed site could support a settlement designed to accommodate a minimum of 120,000 residents.
The recommended areas are:
Buckinghamshire
Central Bedfordshire
Bradford
County Durham
Kirklees
North Yorkshire
Somerset
Wirral
Wiltshire
Birmingham
Cornwall
Medway
These locations were selected based on a range of indicators, including projected population growth, existing housing stock per capita, affordability ratios, commuting and employment levels, commercial office space, undeveloped land availability, and transport access.
“The top 12 regions have been identified on the basis of both capacity and potential – places where demand for housing is high, but where there is also scope to grow employment, improve infrastructure and rebalance affordability,” said David Churchill, partner in planning and development at Carter Jonas and one of the report’s authors. “But perhaps one of the most surprising findings is that if the locations were determined based on the criteria used in our research, the East Midlands is unlikely to be chosen. In contrast, the South West would see the establishment of three new towns, as would Yorkshire and the Humber.”
The report raises concerns about the scale proposed by the government’s New Towns Taskforce. It argues that 10,000 homes may be insufficient to generate the infrastructure, employment and cohesive urban design necessary for long-term success. Many of the UK’s post-war new towns now exceed 120,000 residents, offering a model of self-contained communities.
“To deliver effective new towns along the lines of Milton Keynes or Stevenage, the government must think big,” said Francis Truss, partner at Carter Jonas. “This requires planning on a commensurate scale: regional, rather than local. It is the absence of strategic planning frameworks that led to the failure of many recent new town proposals, such as the Eco Towns and Garden Villages. Regional planning is imperative to allow cross-boundary coordination and avoid local politics stalling development.
“So, it is encouraging that the government, in its newly published English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, plans for 33 new single-tier strategic authorities. By 2030 this could provide the structure needed to enable delivery, provided powers are matched by political will. Strategic authorities, operating at scale, are far better placed than individual local authorities to plan for new towns in ways that align with national infrastructure and regional growth.”
According to the report, the development of new towns could serve as a mechanism to support broader economic and governmental goals, including devolution and regeneration.
“Combined authorities such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands have already demonstrated how integrated planning across transport, infrastructure and housing can support regeneration and economic growth,” Truss said. “The proposed strategic authorities could go further still, especially if they are equipped with the right powers and incentives.
“Development Corporations, Mayoral Development Corporations are all tools that could help strategic authorities assemble land and deliver long-term infrastructure.”
Summing up the report’s findings, Churchill noted, “The government’s ambition to deliver 12 new towns is both timely and welcome, but must be underpinned by strategic clarity and a willingness to learn from the past.
“New towns have a proud legacy in England. They delivered places that work – not just housing, but communities with schools, transport and employment. We can do this again. But only if we plan with consistency, think at scale, and commit for the long term.”
