Three new towns to start before election under 12-town plan

The government will begin construction on three new towns before the next general election, the housing secretary is set to announce at Labour’s annual conference, with work on a wider programme of 12 new towns to follow. Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank and Crews Hill on the edge of Enfield have been identified as the most promising sites to start during the current Parliament, officials said, with each of the dozen proposed towns expected to contain at least 10,000 homes.

The New Towns Taskforce, which published its report this week, recommended taking forward a package of 12 new settlements that could deliver as many as 300,000 homes across England. The taskforce advised that about 40 percent of the new homes should be affordable, with roughly half of those earmarked for social rent. Ministers say the programme will draw on both public and private investment, though the overall cost has not been specified.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed will tell conference delegates that the government will “do whatever it takes to get Britain building.” He is due to outline a New Towns Unit to co-ordinate funding and deliver essential services and infrastructure in the new...