New towns: laying the foundations with Lord Ben Gascoigne

The Infrastructure Podcast

In this week's episode we focus on New Towns and specifically the government’s on-going ambitions to tackle the UK’s housing crisis through the creation of a new generation of communities across England.

Now Britain’s housing crisis is not new — but the scale of the Government’s ambition to tackle it is. With a target to deliver 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament, the focus is turning to how this can be achieved in a way that creates thriving, sustainable communities rather than disconnected housing estates.

In September the government accepted the findings of the New Towns Taskforce and committed to working on ideas for up to 12 New Towns through the work of the New Towns Unit – with a consultation planned for the Spring. So some progress but lots to do.

And to discuss the challenge, I am joined today by Lord Ben Gascoigne, chair of the House of Lords Built Environment Committee who will talk us through the findings of the committee’s s latest report, New Towns: Laying the Foundations

This argues that the UK cannot achieve its new town and housing ambitions without decisive national leadership and long-term commitment from central government. It calls for a dedicated cabinet-level minister and a new national delivery agency to oversee a programme of development corporations that are capable of building this new generation of well-planned, infrastructure-led towns.

At the heart of the report lies a message that echoes across decades of British planning history — that success demands vision, coordination, and patience.

But in today’s fiscal climate and fragmented planning landscape, those qualities are harder than ever to muster.

Resources

• New Towns: Laying the Foundations
• House of Lords Built Environment Committee
• Lord Ben Gascoigne
• New Towns Taskforce report Sept 25
• Government response Sept 25