The UK government has announced the seven locations that will host large‑scale settlements under its new towns housebuilding initiative.

Each of the sites, which range from stand-alone new developments to expansions of existing towns, will deliver between 10,000 and 40,000 homes, according to the government.

They include: Tempsford, Bedfordshire; Crews Hill and Chase Park, London Borough of Enfield; Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire; Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester; Thamesmead, London Borough of Greenwich; Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire; and Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. 

A public consultation on the proposed locations and draft planning policy is open until mid-May, with final locations confirmed later in the year. 

Labour has repeatedly stressed since coming into power almost two years ago that housebuilding is high on its agenda, pledging to build 1.5 million “safe and decent” homes in the form of new towns and ‘Georgian-style’ houses.    

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Two years ago, I promised that we would grasp the nettle of planning reform. Now we’re planning to build a new generation of new towns, opening up the expansion of our most dynamic cities and raise up new communities.”

It won’t just be new homes that will be springing up, but other infrastructure such as schools, health facilities, green spaces and transport links. For instance, the proposed 15,000 new homes in Thamesmead, Greenwich, located on previously inaccessible riverside land in London, will be made possible by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “From the ground up, we’re planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links and green spaces designed together – so we can give families the security and opportunities they deserve.”

The government has launched a New Towns Unit as part of its broader programme to support the delivery of these new towns and ensure that utilities, health, education and digital infrastructure are planned from the outset. 

Originally 12 locations were put forward in September 2025 for the new homes programme and assessed by the New Towns Taskforce. While the other locations – Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe (East Devon), Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town – will not be taken forward in the new towns programme, the government says that they are deemed to be credible development opportunities and may continue to be supported through existing housing programmes. 

Sir Michael Lyons, chair of English Cities Fund and SQW Group, and previous chair of the New Towns Taskforce, said: “I warmly welcome the government’s decision to progress seven of the locations recommended by the New Towns Taskforce and to continue discussions in the remaining areas.   

“The consultation provides an opportunity to reflect on lessons from the past and inform a new generation of new towns that can support sustainable growth and create places of lasting value. This is just the ambitious response we hoped for.”

Last year, the government announced that up to 60,000 more engineers, bricklayers, electricians and carpenters are to be trained by 2029 to deliver its housing ambitions.