Up to 12 new towns with around 10,000 homes will begin construction before the next election, the government says.  

Prime Minister Keir Starmer adds that over 100 sites have come forward for new town status since the building project was announced last year. 

The towns will be chosen from these unnamed candidates and will also have upgraded GP surgeries, schools, public transport and affordable housing to support their growth. 

The move is part of the government’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes over five years. 

Over the last five years, the country built around 1 million homes. 

Starmer says the projects “are part of the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era”. 

He adds: “We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder.  

“We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting no as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns.” 

The new towns would be loosely modelled on garden suburbs such as Roundhay in Leeds and garden cities like Letchworth and Welwyn.  

Most of the 12 new towns are not likely to be standalone but extensions to existing big settlements.   

As part of its reforms to relax housebuilding planning the government announced: 

• £1m for government agencies, including National Highways, Natural England and the Environment Agency, to speed up the planning approval of new homes and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where required 

• £2m to support the Building Safety Regulator to continue improving the processing for new-build applications 

• Over £3m of grants for local councils to bolster planning capacity, alongside direct advice and navigate through some of the more complex issues holding up new development 

The government has previously pledged to hire 300 local planning officers to speed up restrictions, which will cost £50m. 

Housing secretary Anglea Rayner adds: “While our vision for the next generation of new towns is setting the stage for a housebuilding revolution in the years to come, urgent action is needed now to build the homes and infrastructure that our local communities are crying out for.” 

Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson welcomed the proposals, adding: “We look forward to hearing further details on precise locations, as they must fully enhance and compliment the regions where they will be built.” 

“The government must work closely with key stakeholders to ensure each new town brings a diverse mix of properties, all capable of delivering the right combination of homes to meet the needs of household and age demographic requirements in the areas they will be placed.”