The House of Lords Built Environment Committee’s recent inquiry into the New Towns programme adds to the growing body of evidence on the mix of land uses needed to support the Government’s ambition to deliver 1.5m homes.

At a time when debate is focused on housing numbers, the Lords’ report asks a more fundamental question: what does it take to create places where people want to live, stay and thrive? The answer to that question seems likely to guide the expectations of central and local government towards developers and investors.

Lessons learned from post-war new towns
This edition of the Lords’ new towns inquiry focuses on place, community, health and inclusion. It looks beyond housebuilding targets and focuses on the people who will live in the next generation of new towns, including day-to-day needs for social infrastructure and healthcare.

The report provides a reminder of the ‘lessons learnt’ regarding community and social infrastructure, from the various waves of post-war new towns, from Runcorn, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead, through to the ongoing development of the new towns at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire and Cranbrook in East Devon.

Understanding local community needs
However, it is not just the first wave of post-war new towns which provide guidance for the future. Recent examples, such as Cranbrook in East Devon, highlight the challenges of delivering town centres and community facilities.