Expert group will make recommendations within a year
Sir Michael Lyons and Dame Kate Barker have been appointed to lead a independent task force which will develop a vision for the construction of new towns.
The taskforce has been asked to recommend appropriate locations for new communities of at least 10,000 new homes within 12 months.
They will work with mayors, local leaders and communities over the coming months to help determine this.
Regeneration expert Lyons has been asked by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to lead the group, supported by housing economist Barker, who recently published the initial recommendations from her review into housing supply.
Lyons is the non-executive chair of the English Cities Fund, a regeneration-focused joint venture which includes Homes England, and has previously been a member of the boards of Redrow and Sage Housing and a strategic advisor for CBRE.
He chaired the Housing Commission in 2014 established by Ed Miliband, which set out how the UK can boost housing supply.
“A new generation of new towns and largescale urban extensions could play a significant role in the Government’s plans for economic growth as well as offering new homes on an ambitious scale,” he said.
“I am proud to lead the New Towns Taskforce to make sure new towns deliver on the government’s vision and meet the needs of local people.
“Our mission begins today and we will work closely with local leaders and their communities as well as the wider development and investment sectors to make sure these new towns are built in the right places.”
The new communities will be governed by a ‘New Towns Code’, which will set out rules that developers will have to meet to make sure new towns are well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive
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They will also need to supply all the infrastructure and public services necessary to support the new communities and help meet housing need by targeting rates of 40% affordable housing, with a focus on genuinely affordable social rented homes.
Rayner said: “Our new towns will deliver housing fit for the future, shaping new communities with real character that people can be proud to call home.
“With Sir Michael in the driving seat, I know his Taskforce will work together with local people to help us decide on the right places for these new towns, delivering more homes, jobs and green spaces.
“We are getting Britain building again and our long-term vision for a new generation of new towns will enrich the lives of working people in the years to come.”
The appointments come after a major announcement by the housing secretary yesterday, which saw changes made to the NPPF under her predecessor reversed and housing targets made more ambitious in many areas of the country.
Melanie Leech, chief executive at the British Property Federation, said: “Sir Michael Lyons and Dame Kate Barker are hugely experienced and are excellent appointments to lead the New Towns Taskforce. New towns are a vital part of not just delivering growth and homes but of creating the places of the future. They will take time to deliver and that’s why it’s positive to see Government acting so soon after being elected.
”I hope the New Towns Taskforce will take into account Monday’s announcement on reviewing the business case and funding for infrastructure projects, and that new town locations will align with the sites able to absorb new communities.
“This would make the measures announced this week, when viewed as a whole, one of the most significant statements of intent on housing and placemaking we’ve seen in years.”
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