Rayner invites councils and developers to step up with New Town plans

The Government has announced that over 100 sites across England have come forward to be considered for next generation of New Towns, which will have the potential to deliver at least 10,000 homes and required infrastructure to support them.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said this morning that a New Towns Taskforce will focus on exploring locations for new towns, focusing on areas ripe for early intervention as part of a first initial wave, alongside the longer-term pipeline.

The guidance says location selection for new towns should be strategically rational, supported wherever possible by existing infrastructure and ideally with local support to ensure successful development.

Manchester City Council was quickly out of the blocks on its plans. Manchester has been allocated £1.5m by the Government to support the next phase of regeneration in Collyhurst in north Manchester – part of the major Victoria North regeneration programme which will partly fund work to secure a new Metrolink station.

Leader of the Council Cllr Bev Craig said: “We welcome the news that the new Government wants to work with us to help us build more homes and create more jobs for Manchester residents.

“Victoria North represents one of the most ambitious urban regeneration programmes in Europe and will see more than 15,000 homes built in the next decade, along with a range of employment, social, community, cultural and neighbourhood uses. Its delivery will transform 390 acres of brownfield and underutilised land in some of the most deprived wards of Manchester, creating a new town in Manchester, interconnected by quality green spaces which will open up and celebrate the River Irk.

Cllr Craig is putting together a business case for a new Metrolink stop at Sandhills.

“Already, hundreds of homes have been built as part of the regeneration programme, including 130 new council homes in Collyhurst that will be available to residents very soon, alongside a new community park,” she said.

In a walkabout with King Charles this week Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted the government policy was to build on “brownfield first” approach and “try to protect the beauty of the countryside”.

The new towns initiative is part of Labour’s plans to build 1.5m new homes in their first term, after what it says has been a failure to meet demand, but the government is still likely to face fierce opposition from so-called NIMBYs – Not in My Back Yard.

But Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), welcomed the strategic approach and said: “New Towns are key to solving the housing crisis as they can set affordable price points for homes, attract businesses with the promise of strategic employment land, and build all things a community needs to ensure housing and infrastructure are not competing for limited land availability.

“The Government should be commended for taking on the NIMBYs to deliver new towns, and it will greatly help them toward their 1.5m home target and delivery of sustainable and strategic growth.”

The Government also highlighted that the Homes Accelerator programme unblocked 20,000 homes, £1m extra funding for government agencies, £2m for the Building Safety Regulator and £3m in grants for local councils to bolster planning.

Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy at the NFB, said: “New Towns are an opportunity to support SMEs by allocating sites specifically for them, which is important for housing diversification and because 73% of construction apprentices are trained by SMEs, who typically employ within 20 miles of their head offices. This makes SMEs key to reducing a reliance on immigrant labour and ensuring people have good careers.”

Meanwhile, the development team breathing life into one of Merseyside’s largest brownfield sites welcomed the Prime Minister’s support for their development in his announcement this morning (February 13).

Cowley Hill site (St Helens Council)

The 104-acre Cowley Hill Works site in St Helens, which has been brought through the planning system by Liverpool-based Promenade Estates and BXB Land Solutions, is the largest single housing allocation in the region. More than 1,100 homes have been consented, alongside a new spine road and more than 100,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Sir Keir Starmer highlighted the Environment Agency’s role in the scheme’s progress after its withdrawal of prior concerns related to the construction of the new spine road serving the site. BXB worked closely with the Accelerated Homes Department and St Helens Council to secure the revised agreement.

Gary Goodman, BXB’s Land and Planning Director, said: “The Government’s flexibility and drive has provided a timely boost as we seek to push forward with the remainder of the site.

“I welcome their intervention, and the role St Helens Council has played.  Regenerating complex brownfield sites like this is not easy, but it’s more likely to succeed when you have partnerships such as this.”

The Government is also keen to reduce red-tape around planning issues and Dan Hynd, Managing Director of Promenade Estates, said: “Planning constraints are expensive and can render some developments unviable.

“Anything the Government can do to unlock the planning process to make it more streamlined is to be welcomed.”

The regeneration of the Cowley Hill site is expected to generate more than £200m in capital expenditure.

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