Labour will build a new town of 10,000 homes on the edge of Enfield as part of an ambitious housing programme set to begin before the next election. Crews Hill in North London has been selected alongside Leeds South Bank and Tempsford in Bedfordshire as one of three priority sites for immediate development.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed will announce the plans at Labour's party conference in Liverpool, pledging the Government will "do whatever it takes to get Britain building". The three priority locations will see construction start before the 2029 election as part of a broader programme of 12 new towns across England.
Scale and ambition
The dozen new settlements will each contain at least 10,000 homes and could collectively deliver 300,000 houses across England. The New Towns Taskforce has recommended that at least 40% of these new homes should be affordable housing.
The programme represents Labour's attempt to tackle a housing crisis that has left millions locked out of homeownership. Academic estimates suggest Britain faces a shortage of 4.3 million homes, according to The Guardian, with record numbers now living in temporary accommodation.
Crews Hill transformation
The North London site currently has only 566 residents and borders the M25, sitting 12 miles from Charing Cross, according to The Standard. The area is known for its garden centres and has an underutilised train station that could support the new development.
Reed will tell conference delegates: "We will fight for hard working people, locked out of a secure home for too long by the Conservative government of blockers. This Labour Government won't sit back and let this happen."
Post-war inspiration
The Housing Secretary will draw parallels with Clement Attlee's post-war new towns programme, declaring: "This party built new towns after the war to meet our promise of homes fit for heroes. Now, with the worst economic inheritance since that war, we will once again build cutting-edge communities."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) said: "For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream. My Labour Government will sweep aside the blockers to get homes built."
Development model
Labour plans to model each town on the Stratford regeneration that transformed east London for the 2012 Olympics. Development corporations with sweeping powers will oversee construction, including the ability to compulsorily purchase land and grant planning permission.
A new "New Towns Unit" will coordinate both private and public investment in transport links, GP surgeries, schools and green spaces. The unit will work with leading architects to ensure each settlement has unique character reflecting its local area.
Locations and timeline
The 12 sites span from Cheshire to Plymouth, including standalone settlements and expansions of existing towns. Notable locations include Adlington in Cheshire East, developments in South Gloucestershire near technology businesses, and redevelopment of a former airbase at Heyford Park in Oxfordshire.
Environmental assessments must be completed before construction can begin in earnest at each location. The announcement comes as housing approvals have declined, with applications down 5% to 80,400 between April and June, according to BBC figures that Reed described as "unacceptable".
Sources used: "MyLondon", "The Guardian", "BBC", "The Standard", "Independent", "City A.M", "The i"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
