The London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee has warned that London's two planned 'New Towns' will only succeed if they are paired with robust transport, high-quality green spaces, and optimal social housing. Up to 36,000 homes are planned for the new settlements in Thamesmead, Greenwich, and Enfield's Crews Hill and Chase Park.
Wasted Opportunity Without Strong Leadership
The sites are part of a national strategy to tackle the house-building crisis, among seven new towns confirmed for development earlier this year. However, the committee has urged ministers to ensure these London New Towns are well-served with public transport, green infrastructure, and diverse affordable homes from 'day one' of residents moving in.
In a new report released on Wednesday, the cross-party group warned that the initiative, though welcome, risks becoming a 'wasted opportunity' without strong leadership and a vision beyond simply building homes. Enfield Council, meanwhile, has voiced its strong opposition to the New Town planned for its borough.
Lessons from Past New Towns
“We risk looking back on the New Towns programme as a project that created places with unsuitable housing, poor transport connections and low-quality green spaces, ultimately becoming places where people do not want to live and that make London less green and more vulnerable to climate impacts,” the report says.
“We know that new towns can work. Places like Milton Keynes stand as testament to what can be achieved when ambition is matched with long-term planning and delivery. But we should also be clear about the lessons of the past. Not all New Towns succeeded in the way they were intended. Across the programme, there were shortcomings in design, an overreliance on the car and, crucially, a failure in some places to provide the transport links needed to connect residents to major centres of employment.”
The committee cited Skelmersdale, designated in 1961 as a New Town intended to house Liverpool's overspilling population, as a key example of what happens when transport is overlooked. The site is now infamous for being one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station.
Transport and Design Recommendations
To avoid any mishaps with Thamesmead and Crews Hill and Chase Park, Assembly Members said New Towns must be co-designed with current and future residents, be underpinned by a clear set of design principles and a masterplan, and ensure social housing is prioritised for delivery.
With regards to transport, they said more frequent train services will be needed at Crews Hill train station, while Transport for London (TfL) must ensure the DLR extension from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead is constructed on time. This would avoid connectivity issues like those seen at the Beam Park development, which, despite having 1,000 new homes, did not see funding for a new local train station until this year.
Call for New Town Funding Grant
They are also calling on the government to announce a specialised 'New Town Funding Grant', despite Baroness Taylor, the Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government, saying that money for the projects would come from various Whitehall departments.
Committee chair James Small-Edwards said: “New Towns could be a real tool to help tackle London's housing crisis, but only if we get them right. This cannot be just about building homes in isolation. Done properly, New Towns should create well-connected, affordable and genuinely liveable communities from day one. Our recommendations set out the foundations needed to ensure that the proposed New Towns work for Londoners from day one.”
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was contacted for comment.
Enfield Council Opposition
Fellow Assembly Member Alessandro Georgiou, who was elected as leader of Enfield Council in May, withdrew his borough's support for the Crews Hill and Chase Park proposal, suggesting it would damage Enfield's green belt.
The decision was criticised by the Centre for Cities think tank, who called on the mayor of London and ministers to intervene to make sure it goes ahead. City Hall said it will 'continue to work closely with councillors in Enfield to further develop plans at Crews Hill, including proposals for extensive consultation with the local community'.
The government has confirmed that it will challenge Enfield Council's refusal to support the New Town. In response, Mr Georgiou said: “The people of Enfield made their views clear at the most recent local elections, they do not want a New Town imposed on us by the government and mayor of London. Enfield Council will do whatever it takes to save the green belt from destructive tower blocks.”
