‘Not enough’ – Wychavon axed from list of new towns

The solitary Midlands settlement in a government plan to build a dozen proposed ‘next generation’ new towns has been dropped from the final shortlist, partly due to Green Belt concerns.

Around 10,000 homes were planned for Wychavon Town, near Worcestershire Parkway railway station, with a large industrial site also earmarked near the M5 motorway, set to be built over the next 15 years.

But in a statement released this weekend, the government confirmed that Wychavon is one of six locations which the government says will not be taken forward as bona-fide “new towns” – although the 3000-acre plot to the south-east of Worcester could still be developed through existing housing programmes.

In its draft programme, published this morning, the government stated that the “comparatively moderate” plans for the town would not need a central delivery vehicle, but said the proposals didn’t offer as much to the programme as other sites. It added that environmental impacts stemming from the site’s location in open countryside would “need to be mitigated”.

Outline planning applications for a mixed-use scheme which would become the town centre, and another for the first 5,500 homes on the development, were submitted by Homes England and developer Summix in January.

Heyford Park, Marlcombe, Plymouth, South Barking and the controversial proposed Cheshire town of Adlington were also dropped from government plans.

The final list of 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 — Urban expansion of around 40,000 homes and a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor

Of the seven on the final government shortlist, only Tempsford is a true new town, with the others urban extensions of existing settlements.

Earlier this year, the government confirmed there would be “no new funding pot” to support the development of new towns, however they will be backed by a £16bn National Housing Bank, a government-backed investment vehicle which is set to launch next month with the intention of building up to 500,000 homes.

Several new town development corporations will also be “stood up” to support the deliver of the new towns, according to housing secretary, Steve Reed.

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

“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.”

A public consultation on the final shortlist will begin shortly, set to close on the 11 May.