Labour has announced that construction will begin on three new towns in England before the next general election, as part of its flagship housing strategy. The move comes after a government taskforce identified 12 potential locations, with Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill in north London earmarked as the first sites for development.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed is expected to outline the plans during his keynote address on the opening day of Labour’s annual party conference in Liverpool. The government says the initiative will be central to meeting its commitment to build 1.5 million homes by 2029.
Twelve Sites Recommended Across England
The New Towns Taskforce, set up earlier this year, has recommended a mix of standalone settlements, city expansions, and regeneration projects. Alongside the three initial sites, proposed locations include:
- A new settlement at Tempsford, Bedfordshire
- Redevelopment of Heyford Park, Oxfordshire
- Densified housing in Plymouth
- Expansion of Milton Keynes with a new mass transit system
- Riverside development in Thamesmead, south-east London
- Growth around Worcestershire Parkway station
- New communities in Cheshire, South Gloucestershire, East Devon, and Manchester
Each new town is expected to include at least 10,000 homes, with the potential to collectively deliver up to 300,000 new homes across England in the coming decades.
Affordable Housing and Community Infrastructure
The taskforce has recommended that at least 40% of the new homes should be affordable housing. Developments would be supported by a New Towns Unit, tasked with securing billions of pounds in public and private investment for schools, GP surgeries, green spaces, libraries and transport links.
Labour has signalled it may use development corporations with special planning powers to acquire land, deliver infrastructure, and approve construction — echoing the model used for the regeneration of Stratford before and after the 2012 Olympics.
Local Concerns in Tempsford
While Labour is presenting the plan as a bold step forward, some communities have voiced frustration over the lack of consultation.
Tempsford, a Bedfordshire village of just 600 people, is one of the first areas earmarked. Parish council chairman David Sutton said residents had been “kept in the dark” about the scale of development.
“The biggest problem we’ve got at the moment is that even today, as an announcement’s being made, we’ve been given no idea whatsoever of the scale of what we’re being asked to live amongst,” he told PA news agency. “Nobody’s come to talk to us at all.”
Echoes of the Post-War Housing Boom
In his speech, Reed is expected to draw parallels with the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee, which launched the UK’s first wave of new towns such as Stevenage and Crawley.
“This party built new towns after the war to meet our promise of homes fit for heroes,” Reed will say. “Now, with the worst economic inheritance since that war, we will once again build cutting-edge communities to provide homes fit for families of all shapes and sizes.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed the sentiment, calling homeownership a “distant dream” for many families. He pledged that his government would “sweep aside the blockers” to accelerate housing delivery.
Political Backdrop and Party Challenges
The announcement comes as Labour members gather in Liverpool for their annual conference. It will be Steve Reed’s first major speech since taking over as housing secretary from Angela Rayner, who resigned over a tax issue related to a property purchase.
The pledge also comes at a difficult moment for Sir Keir Starmer, whose leadership has faced questions after weeks of internal criticism and polling that shows Labour slipping behind Reform UK. On arriving in Liverpool, he warned that Nigel Farage’s party would “tear this country apart”, framing Labour’s housing plan as part of a wider vision to offer stability and growth.
