Five new garden towns to provide up to 64,000 new homes.
Image: Ceebeestock/Adobestock
Kit Malthouse, the Minister of State for Housing, has announced five new garden towns which could unlock up to 64,000 homes across England. The new communities will receive a share of £3.7 million of funding to fast-track specialist survey work and planning works necessary for each new town’s development.
The five new garden towns are:
– Grazeley Garden Settlement, which could deliver up to 15,000 homes
– Hemel Garden Communities, up to 11,000 homes
– Easton Park Garden Community, North Uttlesford Garden Community and West of Braintree Garden Community, an opportunity to deliver up to 18,500 homes
– Tewkesbury Ashchurch Garden Community, which could deliver up to 10,195 homes
– Meecebrook, in the north of Stafford borough, delivering around 10,000 homes
The funds will be spent by councils to help to deliver the homes and infrastructure needed. This includes specialist survey work and planning applications.
Minister of State for Housing Kit Malthouse MP said: “These new towns will not only provide homes for families, but will be vibrant communities where everyone, including neighbouring communities can benefit from new infrastructure – leaving a legacy for future generations to be proud of.
“I congratulate these councils who have put forward ambitious proposals, which will build many thousands of high-quality homes, and am pleased to support them as they work to make these plans a reality.”
Jason Lowes, partner in the planning team at Rapleys, commented: “This latest funding deal is further confirmation that Garden Communities very clearly remain a key part of the government’s new homes strategy – which is a direct result of the strategy laid out in last year’s NPPF, and followed through in this year’s almost identical version.
“However, Garden Communities are by their nature a long term solution and only part of the picture. Nearer term solutions, such as the expansion of existing cities, towns and villages are also critically important to ensure that people who want to can find new homes close to their families. This needs to be pursued through intensifying densities in appropriate locations, not least town centres, and reviewing the spaces around existing settlement boundaries – including, if necessary and appropriate, Green Belt land – particularly brownfield Green Belt land.”
The five new schemes will join the 23 existing garden communities the government is currently supporting.
