The government has named the locations of seven potential new towns as part of what it calls “the most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century”.

Each location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several delivering 40,000 or more in the decades to come as part of “well-connected new communities” that will also see the creation of new jobs, schools, health facilities, green space and transport links.

The proposed locations are:

  • Tempsford, Bedfordshire – up to 40,000 homes built around a new East West Rail station, linking residents to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes
  • Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield – up to 21,000 homes helping to meet London’s acute housing need
  • Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire – up to 20,000 homes capitalising on the city’s economic momentum and the government’s £2.1 billion local transport investment
  • Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester – at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city
  • Thamesmead, Greenwich – up to 15,000 homes unlocking inaccessible riverside land in London, enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension
  • Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire – up to 40,000 homes at the heart of a world-class research and advanced engineering economy
  • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire – building on its history as one of the original new towns, to take forward the ‘renewed town’ vision to expand the city by around 40,000 homes and reinvigorate the centre with a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.

Meanwhile, the government has decided that six further potential locations – Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe (East Devon), Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town – will no longer be taken forward as new towns. However, they are still deemed to be “credible development opportunities” and may continue to be supported through existing housing programmes

The government has also announced that an additional £234 million grant fund will support Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) to unlock 8,000 new homes on derelict brownfield land. Areas benefitting from the funding include Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West of England and York & North Yorkshire.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “People want real change – homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities.

“Our next generation of new towns marks a turning point in how we build for the future.

“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.”

Alongside the new towns announcement, the government has confirmed that the National Housing Bank will launch on 1 April. It will be backed with up to £16bn of financial capacity and will aim to deliver over 500,000 new homes.

Simon Century, National Housing Bank Chief Executive, said: “From day one, we’ll use deep expertise to back innovative, large-scale delivery – accelerating the supply of high-quality affordable homes and thriving places people want to live.”