The government has named seven proposed new towns for consultation, each expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes and, in several cases, up to 40,000 over the long term. The announcement, published on 22 March 2026 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), frames the programme as the most ambitious housebuilding effort in more than half a century. (gov.uk)
The locations are Tempsford (Bedfordshire); Crews Hill and Chase Park (Enfield); Leeds South Bank (West Yorkshire); Manchester Victoria North (Greater Manchester); Thamesmead (Greenwich); Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc (South Gloucestershire); and Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire). The proposals are tied to major transport investments: a new East West Rail station at Tempsford; a planned Docklands Light Railway extension serving Thamesmead; a new Metrolink stop at Victoria North; Leeds benefiting from £2.1 billion in local transport; and a renewed transport system in Milton Keynes. (gov.uk)
MHCLG says the consultation on proposed locations and draft planning policy will run until Monday 18 May 2026. Final selections are due later in 2026 following a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and any further environmental assessment required under applicable regulations. The department emphasises early provision of schools, health facilities and active travel, alongside mass transit, as part of the placemaking approach. (gov.uk)
Delivery will be supported by a dedicated New Towns Unit advised initially by four interim appointees: Lyn Garner, Ian Piper, Emma Cariaga and David Rudlin. Government indicates that, building on precedents such as Stratford, one or more development corporations may be established to take forward specific sites where appropriate. (gov.uk)
The development corporation route sits on a clear statutory footing. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 amended the New Towns Act 1981 to enable locally led new town development corporations with oversight by the relevant local authorities, while Mayoral Development Corporations in London continue to derive powers from the Localism Act 2011. These frameworks are likely to be used where ministers and local leaders judge them most effective for land assembly, planning powers and long‑term stewardship. (legislation.gov.uk)
Policy design draws on the New Towns Taskforce’s placemaking principles published in September 2025 and the government’s initial response. Ministers signal expectations for mixed-tenure, genuinely affordable housing, high-quality design and integrated social infrastructure. The response also notes that any uplift linked to the potential for planning permission arising from a new town scheme would be disregarded for land value purposes under the proposed approach. (gov.uk)
Financing is intended to be underpinned by the National Housing Bank, which government confirms will launch on 1 April 2026 with up to £16 billion of capacity, aiming to enable delivery of more than 500,000 homes and to crowd in around £53 billion of private investment. The Bank will sit within the Homes England group, with Peter Vernon as Chair and Simon Century as Chief Executive, and will be able to offer flexible loans, equity and guarantees to support complex, multi‑phase sites. An additional £400 million over the next decade is earmarked to subsidise products that reduce borrowing costs for eligible partners. (gov.uk)
Alongside the consultation, ministers have allocated a further £234 million from the Brownfield Housing Fund to Mayoral Combined Authorities to unlock approximately 8,000 homes on derelict sites. Areas named include Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West of England, and York & North Yorkshire. (gov.uk)
Six additional locations-Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe (East Devon), Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town-were assessed as credible development opportunities but will not proceed as new towns at this stage. Government says they may continue to receive support through existing programmes; Plymouth is highlighted for a bespoke package aligned to the defence and naval technology cluster. (gov.uk)
Implications for planning authorities and promoters are immediate. Local planning teams in the named areas will need to prepare evidence for the SEA, align emerging design codes with the government’s design and placemaking guidance consulted on up to 10 March 2026, and scope delivery vehicles-including locally led development corporations-capable of long‑term land assembly and stewardship. Early coordination with transport bodies on the DLR Thamesmead extension and East West Rail’s Tempsford interchange will be critical to sequencing homes with infrastructure. (gov.uk)
Key dates now in view are: National Housing Bank operational from 1 April 2026; consultation closing Monday 18 May 2026; and government confirmation of final locations later in 2026 after the SEA. Separate statutory processes remain for enabling transport schemes-TfL intends to submit a Transport and Works Act Order for the Thamesmead DLR extension in 2026, and East West Rail plans further consultation before a Development Consent Order application. (gov.uk)