Leeds South Bank makes govt’s new towns shortlist

Plans for 13,000 homes and 3m sq ft of commercial space south of the city centre look set to receive a boost, having earned praise from the New Towns Taskforce.

Leeds South Bank was one of 12 areas recommended for the government’s latest programme to bolster the number of homes in the country. It sits on 640 acres and will play a large part in the city council’s 10-year regeneration plan for the area.

“The vision for a new town in Leeds South Bank aligns with the placemaking principles and is an opportunity to unlock the potential of underused land to deliver thousands of new high-quality homes and ease local housing pressures,” the taskforce noted in its report on the matter.

The New Towns Taskforce had been charged with crafting a list of places where government intervention could lead to the development of a minimum of 10,000 homes – of which 40% would be affordable, with half of those available for social rent.

Steve Reed MP, secretary of state for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, announced the taskforce’s recommendation at the Labour Party conference on Sunday. Labour has committed to aim to start building at least three new towns during this Parliament.

Of the 12, government noted in a press release that Leeds South Bank, Crews Hill in Enfield, and Tempsford in Central Bedfordshire had the most potential.

However, none of the 12’s status as future new towns is set in stone. They must each undergo a strategic environmental assessment in the spring. The results of the SEA could change the shortlist even more, with some proposed locations being cut.

Those that are eventually selected will receive support from the government in speeding up delivery. They could also become hotbeds for testing, in order to figure out the best way to deliver housing projects at scale.

“New towns are going to be a legacy from this government and our time as leaders collectively of the Labour Party of the future,” Reed told a gathering of local government officials during conference on Sunday.

He added later that he was committed to the 1.5m-homes housing target. To achieve that he pledged: “I will get the barriers out of the way. I will get rocket boosters behind what we need to do. We will get those homes built because our residents demand it and they deserve it and they need it.”

 The full list

Here is the full list of 12 recommendation locations for new towns, as written in the taskforce’s report.

• A standalone settlement in Adlington, Cheshire East; to serve the growing industries in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy.
• A corridor of connected development in South Gloucestershire, across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc; building in one of the highest productivity areas in the country with a high value research, advanced engineering and technology economy.
• An expanded development bringing together Chase Park and Crews Hill in Enfield; delivering green development and helping address London’s acute housing need.
• Redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park in Cherwell; connecting to Oxford and building on the existing progress and commitment to high-quality placemaking; referencing the area’s past and supporting its future in innovative technology industries.
• Urban development in Leeds; catalysing on the city’s existing economic prospects and capturing the benefits of the governments £2.1 billion local transport funding allocation for the Combined Authority by delivering well-connected, high-quality homes in the South Bank to support the city centre.
• Inner-city development and densification in Manchester, Victoria North; supporting continued growth and attracting high-skilled workers to service the city’s diverse industries.
• A standalone settlement in Marlcombe, East Devon; strengthening the region’s labour supply and supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.
• A ‘Renewed Town’ in Milton Keynes; reinvigorating the city centre and expanding to the north and east whilst reshaping the way people travel, by delivering a Mass Rapid Transit system.
• Densified development in Plymouth; evolving Britain’s Ocean City and capitalising on the government’s £4.4 billion investment in HMNB Devonport, Western Europe’s largest naval base.
• A new settlement in Tempsford, Central Bedfordshire; to maximise the benefits of East West Rail by building a well-connected new town in the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
• The creation of a riverside settlement in Thamesmead, Greenwich; unlocking inaccessible land in the city and improving connectivity if the proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway can be delivered to enable the development.
• Expanded development at Worcestershire Parkway, Wychavon; accelerating delivery around the existing train station to help meet regional housing need and act as a model for sustainable, carbon neutral development.