New Towns Taskforce holds inaugural meeting in Milton Keynes
The New Towns Taskforce met in Milton Keynes to discuss future new towns, with eight experts joining the team to help shape plans for large-scale housing developments
The first meeting of the New Towns Taskforce took place this week in the post-war new town of Milton Keynes.
At the meeting, it was confirmed that eight industry experts have joined the taskforce alongside Chair Sir Michael Lyons and Deputy Chair Dame Kate Barker. These experts represent key sectors such as planning, infrastructure delivery, architecture, and urban regeneration.
Speaking after the meeting, Sir Michael highlighted the importance of Milton Keynes as an example for the taskforce, stating that it offers “all sorts of lessons” as “a new town that’s gone on growing and managed to keep up that momentum”. He expressed hope that future new towns could replicate this success.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who attended the meeting remotely along with the Housing Minister, described the meeting as "a momentous step in our journey to deliver the next generation of new towns". She emphasised the government's ambition for new communities to have “real character”, providing “genuinely affordable, safe and secure homes, much-needed infrastructure and well-paying jobs”. Rayner expressed confidence in the taskforce, noting, “With a strong team of experts standing by his side, I have every confidence in Sir Michael’s leadership."
The taskforce will now move forward with its vision for new towns, with plans to report potential locations to ministers next year. The aim is to create large-scale communities that could deliver hundreds of thousands of high-quality homes to address the national housing crisis and support economic growth.