Industry grandees join New Towns Taskforce

Legal & General’s Bill Hughes and Grainger’s Helen Gordon are among a group of eight seasoned experts that have joined the government’s New Towns Taskforce. The task force, set up in the summer to kick-start housebuilding across the country, is led by regeneration expert Sir Michael Lyons and housing economist Dame Kate Barker. It has now brought on board eight experts from across the built environment as it seeks to identify locations across the UK that could deliver hundreds of thousands of homes through the development of new towns. Alongside Hughes and Gordon, the new members include Manchester City Council chief executive Eamonn Boyle, chief executive of the National Housing Federation Kate Henderson, president of the Town and Country Planning Association Nick Raynsford, Arup architect Sowmya Parthasarathy, chief executive of the Digital Taskforce for Planning Wei Yan, and economist Dame Diane Coyle. The task force held its first meeting this week to confirm responsibilities for members, lay the groundwork for identifying locations and to learn lessons from previous attempts to build new towns. Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said the meeting marked a “momentous step” in the government’s journey to deliver the next generation of new towns. “We want to see new communities with real character – providing genuinely affordable, safe and secure homes, much-needed infrastructure and well-paying jobs. With a strong team of experts standing by his side, I have every confidence in Sir Michael’s leadership and his task force is working at pace to make sure our long-term ambition becomes a reality.” Lyons said: “We have an important agenda to work through over the next 12 months to ensure that the next generation of new towns deliver the government’s plans for economic growth and housing ambitions. I look forward to working with our very experienced task force members to provide the government with robust recommendations within a year.” Alongside identifying locations for new towns, the task force will agree principles and standards that must be met to provide good-quality places, explore new ways to attract future funding and investment and find practical solutions to remove barriers that will unlock the delivery of new towns.  The work will culminate in the publication of a final report due to land on ministers’ desks next year.