Open consultation

New Towns Draft Programme

Published 23 March 2026

Applies to England

Body responsible for the consultation

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Duration

This consultation will last from 23 March to 19 May 2026. 

How to respond

Respond to the consultation by completing the online survey.

Alternatively, you can download and complete this form and send your response to newtownsconsultation@communities.gov.uk. If you have any questions about completing the survey or responding via the form, please contact us at newtownsconsultation@communities.gov.uk.

Ministerial foreword

The post-war New Towns programme was the most ambitious town-building effort ever undertaken in the UK. It transformed the lives of millions of working people by giving them affordable and well-designed homes in well-planned and beautiful surroundings. The 32 communities it created are now home to millions of people. This government will continue to invest in their regeneration, but we are also determined to bring forward the next generation of new towns.

The 1946 New Towns Act was a response to the urgent need to alleviate housing shortages and urban overcrowding in a war-ravaged Britain. The acute and entrenched housing crisis that afflicts England today has far different causes, but the need for equally bold solutions is no less pressing.

As the final report of the New Towns Taskforce laid bare, a chronic shortage of housing is not only blighting countless lives but also hampering economic growth and productivity. The creation of a series of large-scale new communities provides a golden opportunity to make a significant contribution to meeting housing need across England, and to support economic growth by releasing the productive potential of our constrained towns and cities.

The original New Towns Committee established by the then Minister of Town and Country Planning, Lewis Silkin, rightly recognised that building well-planned new communities is a means of achieving national renewal as well as ensuring more families have access to decent, safe, secure, and affordable homes. Inspired by the proud legacy of the past, we are now taking the first formal step to honouring our manifesto commitment to build a new generation of new towns.

Subject to the outcome of this consultation, we are proposing to take forward seven locations in our New Towns Programme:

• Tempsford
• Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield
• Leeds South Bank
• Manchester Victoria North
• Thamesmead, Greenwich
• Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire
• Milton Keynes

Collectively, schemes in these locations have the potential to provide hundreds of thousands of new homes in the decades ahead and to make a vital contribution to a stronger and more secure economic future for our country. We are determined to get spades in the ground on at least three new towns in this Parliament and will strive to accelerate work on all of the sites that are eventually selected for inclusion in the programme.

As the accompanying Strategic Environmental Assessment report demonstrates, development at the scale we are prosing will need to be mitigated. Good planning, upfront investment, and high-quality design is the best way to achieve this. That is why we are so determined that the next generation of new towns will be built in a way that is consistent with our ambitious placemaking principles. As we have always promised, we intend to create well-connected, well-designed, sustainable and attractive places where people want to live with all the infrastructure, amenities and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.

The fact that over 100 sites were submitted in response to the New Towns Taskforce’s call for evidence tells its own story about the significant opportunities that exist across the country when it comes to large-scale new communities. We were impressed by the strength of propositions across the board, including the six locations that we have identified as reasonable alternatives to the programme.

That is particularly true of Plymouth, which is a unique opportunity to bolster the UK’s defence and security and, if not ultimately taken forward as part of the programme, will require special consideration and its own bespoke financial support package to unlock its potential as a centre of excellence in naval technology, and to ensure that housing does not act as a barrier to further growth.

Our New Towns Programme forms an integral part of our plans to boost innovation, quality and competition in housebuilding. Through land supply certainty, integrated planning, infrastructure coordination, the expansion of supply chains, and increased investment in skills and new construction methods, building the next generation of new towns will help transform the way that future large settlements in every part of the country are delivered.

This consultation on the programme and its environmental implications will be the first of many opportunities to shape the proposals under consideration. I encourage anyone with an interest in boosting housing supply and unleashing economic growth to take part in it.

Matthew Pennycook MP

Minister of State for Housing and Planning

1. Introduction

One of the first actions this government took upon assuming office was to establish the New Towns Taskforce, to advise on the delivery of our manifesto commitment to build a new generation of new towns. The New Towns Taskforce published its report in September 2025, recommending:

• 12 potential locations for new towns, each designed to deliver at least 10,000 homes and to be developed in a way that prioritises infrastructure-first and design-led principles
• the need for strong delivery vehicles such as development corporations to ensure coordinated long-term stewardship, effective integration of utilities and transport, and the assembly of land at scale
• clear placemaking principles including the importance of social infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and community engagement, so that new towns are healthy and safe places where people from across all parts of society can call home

We published an initial response alongside the New Towns Taskforce report on 28 September 2025 and commenced a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to understand the environmental implications of new towns development. We committed to publishing draft proposals and the final SEA Environmental Report (ER) for consultation early this year to inform final decisions on locations for the programme. The SEA process aims to ensure the environmental implications of a proposed plan/programme and potential activities which could result from its implementation are considered and taken into account prior to adopting the draft programme.

The ER and a non-technical summary of that report are published alongside this consultation document at Annex B. The ER identifies, describes, and evaluates the likely significant environmental effects of implementing the New Towns draft programme. The outputs of the SEA have been closely considered in the development of the draft programme, including the consideration of alternative ways to achieve the programme aims. The consultation seeks views on the ER and a non-technical summary of that report. We are particularly interested in views on local environmental constraints, the cumulative effects of any new towns development, and practical methods of mitigation and monitoring.

At section 2, we set out the need for the New Towns Programme, explain the parts of the programme we are consulting on, and set out our programme objectives. In this consultation, we invite views on our proposed approach to take forward the programme, including our proposed locations, the central government support that will be available to those locations, and our proposed planning policy that would apply to locations upon adoption of the programme. Subject to the outcomes of this consultation and completion of the SEA as well as any other required assessments including under the Habitats Regulations, the government intends to adopt the New Towns Programme later this year. The final programme will confirm the locations for future new towns, alongside the publication of a full response to the New Towns Taskforce report. This will be followed by early delivery actions including consultations on the establishment of delivery vehicles where required, and work to confirm masterplans which will deliver an infrastructure‑first approach to development, progressing delivery at those locations as soon as possible.

Consultation and community engagement will be a cornerstone of the New Towns Programme. The New Towns Taskforce was clear on the importance of community engagement and undertook events in several existing new towns. We will continue to engage with involved and local communities and we encourage responses to this consultation from communities in the surrounding areas of potential new town locations. After this SEA consultation, there will be further opportunities for communities and stakeholders to provide their views, including, where appropriate, through statutory consultations for delivery bodies and relevant local planning frameworks. Beyond statutory consultations, the government will also continue to engage with communities, local authorities, delivery bodies, and investors to ensure that new towns are planned and delivered to the highest standards of design, sustainability, and long-term stewardship.

See the consultation questions for this section.

2. New Towns Programme

The Case for New Towns

The government believes that a new generation of new towns is essential to address England’s structural housing shortage and unlock economic growth. Housing constraints are limiting labour mobility, productivity, and social outcomes, with knock-on effects for health, education, and family formation. New towns represent a bold and nationally significant response to address these challenges and to seize the significant opportunities that they represent. We want to make sure that we are not only building new homes, but new communities which can support people throughout their lives.

Building at scale is central to this strategy. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that threshold. This scale enables efficient land use, supports supply chain growth and innovation, and creates the conditions for integrated infrastructure and high quality placemaking. It also provides the opportunity to deliver affordable housing and social infrastructure in a way that smaller sites cannot, ensuring that new towns provide homes for everyone to live in.

As emphasised by the New Towns Taskforce, success will ultimately depend on strong and coordinated government intervention. The Taskforce was clear that delivery must be infrastructure-first and design-led, enabled by effective delivery vehicles such as development corporations where appropriate. Clear expectations and support will need to be set to achieve high quality placemaking with long-term stewardship to ensure that new towns are built to last.

To ensure that new towns are built in an effective, holistic way, the programme will be delivered through a dynamic cross-government approach. Government departments and arm’s length bodies will factor new towns into future spending plans, ensuring they have the utilities, transport, and social infrastructure needed for the community to thrive. The government will use the full range of levers at its disposal to secure delivery and manage risk, including planning reform, land value capture, fiscal tools, guarantees, and institutional investment. Our ambition is that new towns will act as exemplars for integrated planning and funding, setting a model for future large-scale development that will change the way that housing is delivered in this country, beyond the programme itself.

The New Towns Programme is in the national interest. The programme will unlock significant economic potential across the country, lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable growth, and create excellent, sustainable places at a scale which means that they can be developed with all the infrastructure that they need to succeed. New towns will make a significant strategic contribution to the regions where they are delivered and together create a network of new places in the national interest.

Programme objectives

In light of the case for new towns we have set the following objectives for the New Towns Programme. These objectives set our vision for the programme and have informed our proposed approach to take forward and deliver the programme, including the selection of new town locations and the interventions that will be required to deliver them.

The proposed locations set out at section 3 have, alongside other locations, been considered against their ability to meet these objectives and criteria set out below:

1. Scale

New towns will be at least 10,000 homes in scale, and either significantly more or with the opportunity for further expansion.

• New towns will comprise, or form part of, a new place comprising at least 10,000 new homes
• New towns will either provide significantly more homes beyond 10,000 or have scope for delivery of more homes over time

2. Economic growth

New towns will be strategically located to unlock high levels of national economic growth, in places that could foster high productivity and can provide appropriate housing at all levels of affordability, boosting the scale and ambition of planned development.

New towns will be situated in areas which either:

• are ‘overheating’, i.e. there is already high productivity, but housing shortages are restricting labour mobility and therefore preventing the country from capitalising on existing areas of economic strength
• can attract investment and talent to places already growing but not overheating
• can support strategic transport improvement and higher productivity through agglomeration in places outside London and the South East, or
• are in reasonable proximity to priority areas in the government’s Industrial Strategy

New towns will deliver net additional outcomes relative to a defined business-as-usual reference case, by materially increasing the number of homes, accelerating delivery, and/or raising quality and affordability to programme standards that would not be achieved without new town designation.

3. Spread

New towns will be geographically spread across England.

• New towns will form part of an overall package of locations which deliver growth in an appropriate geographical spread across England.

4. Deliverability

New towns will be delivered in an ambitious, innovative way over many years, overseen by an appropriate delivery vehicle. Their promoter will have identified any significant barriers to delivery and measures to overcome these.

• New towns will be able to deliver the planned number of homes without unreasonable spatial or other constraints
• they will have identified a robust funding, leadership, and governance structure
• they will enable adequate infrastructure provision

5. Placemaking

New towns will be built in a way that is consistent with the new towns placemaking principles. This includes timely delivery of all necessary infrastructure and high standards of amenity, services and social inclusiveness, and cohesion. They will be sustainable in transport and environmental terms and aligned to the government’s Net Zero agenda.

• New towns will demonstrate that they can create successful and attractive places, designed, built, and managed in a way that is consistent with the new towns placemaking principles.

Proposed programme

The aims of the New Towns Programme are set out through our programme objectives at section 2.2. The draft programme is our suggested approach to achieve our aims through the successful delivery of our proposed locations.

At section 3, we set out how we have identified and assessed locations against our objectives and the findings from the SEA Environmental Report that have informed our proposed locations for the programme.

At section 4 we set out our government offer to deliver new towns and our proposed planning policy to achieve effective delivery in line with our objectives.

In developing our proposed locations and government offer to take forward the New Towns Programme, we have considered alternative ways of meeting our objectives. This includes alternative ways of bringing forward locations, selecting locations, and planning policy.

3. New Town locations

3.1 Strategic Environmental Assessment and habitats considerations

The selection of potential new town locations has been informed by analysis of their environmental impacts.  The SEA is being undertaken to assess the likely significant environmental effects of the programme as a whole and of each location, including consideration and assessment of reasonable alternatives.

The SEA Environmental Report (Annex B) provides an assessment of the likely environmental impacts of the programme (including locations and the draft planning policy) against 11 SEA objectives:

• air quality
• biodiversity, flora and fauna
• climate change
• flood risk
• health and wellbeing
• historic environment
• landscape and townscape
• land use, geology and soils
• materials and waste
• population
• water resources

The assessments have been undertaken at programme level, so assumptions informing environmental assessment have been applied broadly across all locations. Once the programme has been adopted, proposals for new town locations will be subject to more detailed, site-level environmental assessment. Appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations will be undertaken where required.

We invite consultees to review the SEA Environmental Report (ER) and provide feedback on its content, including whether there is any additional relevant environmental information pertaining to the locations, alternatives identified, and mitigations to be considered. No final decisions will be made on either the locations or delivery until completion of the SEA and the conclusion of any necessary Habitats Regulations Assessments. We expect that any locations that are selected for the programme will be subject to the usual site-specific environmental assessments and other relevant assessments (for example, flood risk) before development takes place. Throughout the following sections we set out how the findings of the ER have influenced our decision-making on proposed locations and our proposed planning policy.

See the consultation questions for this section.

3.2 Assessment of Locations

The SEA process requires government to assess the environmental impacts of the proposed locations and to consider and assess any reasonable alternative ways to achieve the programme objectives. Following the publication of the New Towns Taskforce report in September 2025, the Department has considered the 12 locations recommended by the Taskforce, other locations that were submitted as part of the New Towns Taskforce Call for Evidence, and locations that the Department or Homes England were already aware of, including locations we have been made aware of during the SEA process so far.

The Department has undertaken a robust assessment of these locations in order to identify its proposed programme of locations, as well as alternative locations that meet the programme objectives as set out in Section 2. The methodology to initially identify potential locations (Annex C) including reasonable alternatives to any preferences, has considered their ability to meet the programme objectives.

As part of this process, we reviewed over 100 locations to determine their suitability to be taken forward as new towns. We assessed each location against their ability to fulfil Objective 1 (Scale), Objective 2 (Economic Growth) and Objective 4 (Deliverability), as set out in section 2. For the purposes of this assessment, Objective 3 (Spread) was used to ensure the preferred locations were appropriately balanced across regions of England. Objective 5 (Placemaking) was not used as part of this locational assessment, given the early stage at which development and plans exist at these locations. Annex C outlines the rationale for focusing on these objectives only, alongside the reasons for the exclusion of locations in line with the objectives.

Following this assessment, the government has determined that thirteen locations are capable of meeting the objectives, based on the information available to the Department at the point of the assessment. While some of the potential locations appeared initially to meet some of the programme objectives, the locations taken forward as part of the SEA process were those that could demonstrably meet Objective 1 (Scale), Objective 2 (Economic Growth) and Objective 4 (Deliverability). This includes all 12 locations shortlisted by the Taskforce, as well as one additional reasonable alternative which was also identified through further consideration to be capable of meeting these objectives.

The following locations have therefore been assessed as part of the SEA process as potential new towns:

• a standalone settlement of 14,000-20,000 new homes in Adlington, Cheshire East; to serve the growing industries in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, as identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy
• a corridor of connected development in South Gloucestershire, across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc; potential to deliver up to 40,000 new homes in one of the highest productivity areas in the country with a high value research, advanced engineering and technology economy
• an expanded development of up to 21,000 new homes bringing together Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield; delivering landscape-led development and helping address London’s acute housing need
• redevelopment of the former airbase and delivery of over 13,000 new homes at Heyford Park in Cherwell; connecting to Oxford and building on the existing progress and commitment to high-quality placemaking; referencing the area’s past and supporting its future in innovative clean technology industries
• urban development in Leeds and delivery of circa 20,000 new homes; catalysing on the city’s existing economic prospects and capturing the benefits of the government’s £2.1 billion local transport funding allocation for the Combined Authority by delivering well-connected, high-quality homes in the South Bank to support the city centre
• inner-city development and densification in Manchester Victoria North and delivery of at least 15,000 new homes; supporting continued growth and attracting high-skilled workers to service the city’s diverse industries
• a standalone settlement of between 10,000 to 14,000 new homes in Marlcombe, East Devon; strengthening the region’s labour supply and supporting the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone
• a ‘Renewed Town’ of circa 40,000 new homes in Milton Keynes; reinvigorating the city centre and expanding to the north and east whilst reshaping the way people travel, by delivering a locally appropriate transport solution
• densified development of between 10,000 to 14,000 new homes in Plymouth; evolving Britain’s Ocean City and capitalising on the government’s £4.4 billion investment in HMNB Devonport, Western Europe’s largest naval base
• a new settlement in Tempsford and delivery of over 40,000 new homes; to maximise the benefits of East West Rail by building a well-connected new town in the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor
• the creation of a riverside settlement in Thamesmead, Greenwich and delivery of up to 15,000 new homes; unlocking inaccessible land in the city and improving connectivity enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension
• expanded development at Worcestershire Parkway, now known as Wychavon Town, and delivery of between 10,000 to 15,000 new homes; accelerating delivery around the existing train station to help meet regional housing need and act as a model for sustainable, carbon neutral development.

Additionally, the government has identified one alternative location which it considers able to meet the objectives of the proposed programme. This site has also been assessed as part of the SEA process:

• urban regeneration of several sites and delivery of over 48,000 new homes at South Barking in East London; developing one of the largest undeveloped sites in inner London to support the capital’s economic growth.

SEA Environmental Report findings

Large-scale housing delivery comes with both positive and negative environmental impacts. The findings of the SEA Environmental Report, in particular the assessment of proposed new town locations which are presented pre-mitigation, are consistent with the types of positive and negative impacts seen in large-scale housing delivery, and our assessment is that development through our proposed New Towns Programme will support wide-ranging societal benefits and better overall outcomes to meet the need for housing and economic growth, particularly once appropriate mitigations have been put in place.

Across all locations the report finds that there is a significant positive effect on population due to the potential creation of jobs and economic growth. The effect on air quality and health and wellbeing is mostly negative in the short and medium term as construction progresses, but becomes positive in the long term as sustainability measures are introduced and new recreational and healthcare facilities are provided.

There is a minor negative effect on climate change as a result of new development, but this could be mitigated through the implementation of sustainability measures. While the scale of proposed development will have an impact on biodiversity, flora and fauna, development in new towns will be subject to the statutory requirement for 10% biodiversity net gain where not exempt, thereby contributing to nature’s recovery. Alignment with the NPPF will mean the mitigation hierarchy is applied to protect biodiversity and may also help to maximise any benefits, for example providing opportunities to secure wider biodiversity enhancements and environmental gains.

There is potential for significant negative impacts to the historic environment in some of the proposed locations due to the significance and location of affected heritage assets; however, it may be possible to mitigate some of these impacts. There is scope through positive integration of heritage assets and features of the historic environment to support effective placemaking and development of new towns with a strong identity based on a sense of their past as well as future. This will help to integrate development alongside existing settlements and communities.

A summary of the high-level place-specific environmental impacts identified by the SEA Environmental Report and how it has influenced decision-making on the rationale for assessing each place, is set out at section 3.3.

Proposed mitigation and enhancement measures

The report has identified potential measures to mitigate negative effects and enhance positive effects wherever possible, including potential enhancements to the placemaking principles to ensure clear and effective engagement with relevant stakeholders, integration with relevant wider strategies, and initiatives, and more ambitious targets for delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain.

At a local and plan-level, the expectation is that the mitigation of negative effects and opportunities to enhance the environment will be pursued through comprehensive masterplanning and design codes reflecting the placemaking principles, as set out at section 4.2. Mitigations could include avoiding the loss of key designated sites and other key natural assets, provision of appropriate supporting infrastructure, adoption of key design principles, implementation of targeted strategies, and early, effective engagement with statutory bodies and local communities.

3.3 Proposed New Town locations

Following our location assessment methodology process set out at section 3.2, 13 places are considered to meet the objectives.

This is an ambitious programme that will take decades to deliver, and government cannot support every place at once. We have therefore prioritised proposals of the most ambitious scale, with the greatest potential for economic growth, which are capable of unlocking hundreds of thousands of new homes, and improving people’s quality of life in communities across England.  

Informed by the findings of the SEA reports, set out at section 3.2, we propose, subject to this consultation, to take forward 7 locations in the New Towns Programme:

• Tempsford
• Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield
• Leeds South Bank
• Manchester Victoria North
• Thamesmead, Greenwich
• Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire
• Milton Keynes

These proposals are at different stages of maturity and require different types of intervention and support – including blends of public and private capital – to achieve their potential. The government therefore intends to tailor its approach to each new town, with a view to making as much progress as possible, as fast as possible.  

Our 7 proposed new town locations include 3 priority interventions:

• Crews Hill and Chase Park
• Leeds South Bank
• Tempsford

As set out in our initial response to the New Towns Taskforce final report, these are particularly promising sites that could make significant contributions to unlocking economic growth and accelerating housing delivery. Each will receive significant government focus and support to deliver.     

The remaining 4 locations also have great potential and will be provided with targeted support to ensure they can progress. Two mature schemes - Manchester Victoria North and Thamesmead - are exciting opportunities already in train where the government will provide assistance to maximise development opportunities. The remaining two - Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc and Milton Keynes - are scalable schemes of considerable potential where the government will provide support for initial phases while exploring opportunities to further scale up development.

Priority interventions 

Tempsford

Tempsford offers an opportunity to deliver a large-scale new settlement (over 40,000 homes) with visionary masterplanning at the heart of the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, building on improved connectivity proposed through a new station at the intersection of East West Rail and the East Coast Mainline.

Successful delivery will require investment in transport to drive a suitable public transport mode share to relieve (and ameliorate future) pressures on the already constrained road network. While the potential impacts on land use and landscape are significant because the site is currently agricultural greenfield, these will be mitigated wherever possible.

Our view is that the impacts are outweighed by significant benefits:

• addressing acute housing need and affordability pressures in the region
• boosting productivity through links to Cambridge, Oxford, London, and Milton Keynes
• and with potential for high placemaking standards as an entirely new, standalone settlement

Crews Hill and Chase Park

Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield provides an opportunity with high potential for land value capture through green belt release – delivering up to 21,000 homes in outer London, a region facing extremely high housing demand and low housing affordability.

The potential impacts on the natural landscape could be significant given the site’s greenfield status. These will be mitigated wherever possible through comprehensive masterplanning and consideration of how the Enfield Chase Landscape Recovery project could support mitigation and nature recovery.

Our view is that any remaining impacts would be outweighed by the need for housing delivery in London and low availability of land, especially as the existing greenfield land is low-quality agricultural use.

Leeds South Bank

Leeds South Bank is an opportunity to capitalise on existing transport infrastructure investments, including West Yorkshire Mass Transit, to create a well-connected, high-density, city-centre neighbourhood which will support an agglomeration of His Majesty’s Government investment and growth in Leeds.

It is a strong proposition outside of London and the South East. As a brownfield city-centre site, compared with several other potential locations, the environmental impacts including on land use and townscape are likely to be significantly positive in the long-term.

Targeted support: mature schemes

Manchester Victoria North

Manchester Victoria North presents an opportunity to support the existing Manchester City Council and Far East Consortium Joint Venture to create a dense urban quarter, representing a strong opportunity outside of London and the South East.

The site would benefit from improved connectivity, supporting agglomeration benefits and access to jobs in the growing city centre and other employment hubs across Greater Manchester. It would help revitalise a housing estate and industrial land, delivering strong social and economic additionality.

As a brownfield city-centre site, the SEA identifies long-term significant positive impacts on land use and townscape due to the regeneration of urban land which will improve visual amenity.

Thamesmead

Thamesmead offers an opportunity to increase the value for money of a major planned transport investment in the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension, creating a high-density development in a highly unaffordable part of the country to ease housing need and unlock economic growth. The site can be delivered through an established joint venture.

As a brownfield site, in comparison to other sites there are likely significant long-term positive impacts on townscape and land use due to regeneration and remediation. There is a potentially significant negative impact on flood risk which will need to be mitigated.

Targeted support: scalable schemes

Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc

Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc offers an opportunity to deliver a new town at a large scale, potentially reaching up to 40,000 homes, in an area of high productivity and increasing housing demand.  

Realising the full potential of the site would require investment in transport to drive a suitable public transport mode share to relieve (and ameliorate future) pressures on the already constrained road network. 

While some of the site is greenfield and therefore likely to experience significant negative impacts to landscape and land use, most of the site is brownfield and is likely to see positive effects.

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes presents an opportunity to reinvigorate the city centre and deliver much needed housing growth in surrounding expansion areas. The proposal would expand the city periphery and could potentially deliver at a large and accelerated scale of  circa 40,000 homes in the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, providing excellent opportunities to capitalise on its strategic location and proximity to the recently announced ambitious Universal Studios theme park to further boost economic growth. 

An appropriate local transport solution could help to ensure that new housing sites are well connected, subject to a suitable investment case by local partners. 

While 50% of the site is greenfield land which is likely to experience significant negative impacts on land use and landscape, there are likely to be positive impacts on the remaining brownfield parts of the site.

We will continue to refine our understanding of all these propositions through this consultation process, and as we undertake further bespoke work, including further environmental assessments where required, masterplanning and an assessment of associated infrastructure or interventions necessary (such as transport, water infrastructure and utilities) at each location to inform how best to support each location to realise its potential. This work will determine the timeline for bringing forward each phase of development, which will need to be aligned around wider infrastructure delivery in each location. For example, we do not expect homes in Tempsford to be delivered until wider flood mitigations are in place or significant levels of housing to come forward in Thamesmead until site remediation and upgrades to existing flood and power infrastructure have taken place. But it should be possible to make rapid progress on a first phase of Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, with future phases pending further work on the necessary transport services and infrastructure. Similarly, it should be possible to deliver at Milton Keynes East, with build out in central and Milton Keynes North contingent on the most appropriate local transport solution in the city.

The 6 other locations from the thirteen set out at section 3.1 have been identified as alternatives to the 7 proposed locations. These include the further site at South Barking that was identified as an alternative location alongside 5 sites that were part of the New Towns Taskforce shortlist. These 6 locations also meet the programme objectives and are propositions that represent credible development opportunities. However, we have had to prioritise central government resources on those sites which have the greatest potential for transformational impact.

By meeting our programme objectives, the government has assessed that these 6 locations are strong propositions. Insofar as possible, we are supportive of these sites coming forward as large sites through our established programmes and interventions.

These 6 locations are:

• Adlington, Cheshire East
• Heyford Park, Cherwell
• Marlcombe, East Devon
• Plymouth
• South Barking, Barking and Dagenham
• Wychavon Town, Worcestershire

The rationale for recommending these 6 locations as reasonable alternatives is as follows:

Adlington

Adlington offers an opportunity to develop a standalone settlement on a site largely owned by a single developer. In taking forward this primarily greenfield site, the environmental impacts on land use and landscape would need to be mitigated, but there is significant opportunity for land value capture to fund this.

However, this location is unlikely to offer the same degree of nationally significant economic growth, especially in comparison to Leeds and Manchester Victoria North which are also located in the North of England.

Heyford Park

Heyford Park presents an opportunity to deliver through a willing developer with a strong track record, who has already assembled land on a large-scale site to the north of Oxford which is highly productive but suffers from low housing affordability.

While value for money could prove to be strong and the additionality offered by the programme is sizeable, the scale of delivery is relatively small compared to other proposed sites in the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.

The impacts on the wider landscape and land use would require mitigation, but there are likely to be positive effects on the brownfield land on the site.

Marlcombe

Marlcombe presents an opportunity to enhance the ambition and improve the quality of a development that, although likely to come forward anyway, will otherwise progress more slowly and with limited capacity to deliver an ‘infrastructure first’ approach.

As a greenfield site, the impacts on landscape and land use, including light pollution and increased flood risk, would require mitigation.

It is close to Exeter, a growing city that benefits from strong growth along the M5 corridor, but is unlikely to have the same impact on national economic growth compared with other sites.

Plymouth

This site presents an opportunity to maximise £4.4bn of defence investment into HMNB Devonport (a critical part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent) through working with the Ministry of Defence to transform the city centre and boost the wider local and regional economy.

This site will support Plymouth City Council’s ambition to create city centre living in Plymouth, which currently has an over-sized retail core, with housing focused in the suburbs and surrounding area. While the opportunity is significant, the proposition is at a smaller scale than other proposals and may be best considered outside the New Towns Programme given its unique links to UK defence and security objectives. 

Early phases of development can be brought forward quickly and without significant infrastructure investment. As a brownfield city-centre site, the SEA identifies long-term significant positive impacts on land use and townscape due to the regeneration of urban land. There is some tidal flood risk associated with the site which will need to be mitigated.

South Barking

South Barking benefits from excellent connectivity and the ability to contribute to economic growth in an overheating area. Good progress has already been made in bringing new homes forward.

However, compared to other proposals in London and the South East, the proposal comprises several sites at different stages of maturity, which will make it more challenging to deliver in line with the programme’s placemaking objective.

Due to its status as an urban, brownfield site, the impacts on townscape and land use should be positive in the long-term, and the impacts on flood risk partially mitigable.

Wychavon Town

Wychavon Town provides an opportunity to progress a mature location, albeit at a comparatively moderate scale, in a joined-up way with national priorities for housing near transport hubs. As a greenfield site, the environmental impacts on landscape and land use would need to be mitigated. It would not need a centrally-led delivery vehicle to drive progress, but is unlikely to offer as much additionality as other sites.

There remains strong potential to deliver housing in places that are not taken forward as new towns. This is particularly true of Plymouth, which is a unique opportunity to bolster the UK’s defence and security sector. Plymouth will require special consideration and its own bespoke financial support package, if it is not taken forward as part of the New Towns Programme, to unlock its potential as a centre of excellence in naval technology, and to ensure that housing does not act as a barrier to growth.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Defence are working closely together to develop this package of support, including considering the right delivery vehicle to achieve our defence and security objectives, and how we can join up with private sector partners who are already blazing a trail in the city. We will provide further information on this bespoke package in summer this year.

We will continue to support the progress of all reasonable alternative locations through existing mechanisms to support housing delivery.  

See the consultation questions for this section.

4. Delivering New Towns

The government recognises that delivering high quality new towns at scale requires sustained cross-government support, strong governance, and early investment in essential infrastructure. We have set out our broad government offer, including 5 distinct categories of support that will support the delivery of our proposed new towns locations in line with our programme objectives. These are set out in more detail at section 4.1, including an indicative outline of the different levels of funding that the proposed locations will require, reflecting their individual circumstances. Sites in selected locations will go through the planning process and are likely to require site-specific Environmental Impact Assessments before any development takes place.

We have considered alternative ways to take forward a New Towns Programme by either delivering the proposed locations through existing grant-led programmes, or through a policy-focused programme. It is our assessment that grant-led programmes would not provide the cross-Whitehall coordination required to overcome traditional barriers to ambitious, large-scale development, nor provide government support to achieve our placemaking objective or safeguard new town developments. Taking forward our proposed locations through a policy-focused programme would be unlikely to meet Objective 4 (Deliverability) and we propose that the provision of a flexible and supportive implementation plan outlined at section 4.1 is best placed to deliver locations in line with our objectives.

In addition to considering the alternative ways that the programme could deliver locations, government has considered how our proposed locations could be delivered through alternative policy interventions. We have considered the impact of not proposing a new towns planning policy, an alternative approach to Local Housing Need, Green Belt development, and to the implementation of placemaking principles in our proposed planning policy. It is our assessment that these alternative policy interventions would not support the delivery of new town locations in line with our objectives.

4.1 Government Offer

To enable the delivery of our proposed locations, we are setting out a government offer that would be available to any locations that are taken forward as new towns. This offer combines funding, delivery expertise, and policy support to ensure these places can be planned and delivered in a way that meets the programme’s objectives. The exact offer to each location will depend on their individual needs.

The government offer will provide:

Funding

Subject to the needs of each location, resource and capital funding (a mixture of grant and financial instruments including equity investment, loans and guarantees) to develop:

• town‑wide masterplans and design codes
• technical studies
• business cases, as well as
• establish and maintain governance structures

Funding will be used for:

• land remediation
• land acquisition
• enabling infrastructure and placemaking as part of a joined‑up approach across departments to future infrastructure investment

Delivery vehicle set‑up

Advice and support to establish the right vehicle for each place including development corporations where appropriate, with government leading set‑up where centrally led.

Single front door

Programme governance at senior level, with a New Towns Unit (NTU) providing escalation and extra capacity across departments and arm’s‑length bodies, and proactively prioritising resources and innovation for selected locations.

Planning policy

A New Towns Planning Policy on new towns (in addition to the National Planning Policy Framework and Design and Placemaking Planning Guidance) on new towns to aid delivery and land protection. Please see the annexed proposed Planning Policy (Annex A) for new towns that we welcome views on as part of this consultation.

Design and placemaking

Establishment of a New Towns Place Review Panel to provide impartial advice to delivery bodies and planning authorities, alongside practical design and placemaking guidance for new town delivery. We propose to include the placemaking principles recommended by the New Towns Taskforce to our proposed planning policy at section 5.

Through this package of targeted support, the government aims to provide certainty and confidence for communities, partners and investors. This includes working through different models of bringing in private finance, including through the British Infrastructure Taskforce. By aligning funding, governance and planning tools, we will create the conditions for new towns to succeed for future generations. Each of these tools will be used to secure long-term delivery of the placemaking principles, from funding agreements to land control, and placemaking guidance.

This offer is designed to unlock early momentum while safeguarding long-term quality, ensuring that new towns become exemplars of sustainable growth and placemaking.

More details of what this offer will consist of at location and programme level will be set out in the full response to the Taskforce report later in the year.

See the consultation questions for this section.

4.2 New Towns Planning Policy

The government intends to publish a New Towns Planning Policy setting out plan-making and decision-making policies, including the treatment of new town proposals which involve Green Belt land, our approach to safeguarding land, and the establishment of placemaking principles in the planning process (Annex A). When published later this year, the full government response and New Towns Planning Policy will supersede the policies set out in the initial government response. Sites in proposed new town locations will proceed through the planning process and are likely to require site-specific Environmental Impact Assessments.

In the interim, the policy set out in the initial government response applies, including the use of call in decisions on applications by the Secretary of State where planning issues of more than local importance are involved. The New Towns Planning Policy would take effect as part of the New Towns Programme, once the programme is adopted. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) should continue with plan-making in advance of the programme being established and give consideration to any potential impacts of other developments on the delivery of new towns.

New town planning policies, development orders and framework masterplans are integral to the new town scheme and would apply to schemes that deliver the programme objectives.

The New Towns Planning Policy would apply only to confirmed new town locations and not to development in general, and so would sit alongside whichever version of the National Planning Policy Framework is in force (policies in which would also apply, where relevant).The government has consulted separately on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, which included a question about whether additional policy is needed to support the delivery of very large sites. We will take the responses to that question into account alongside those received as part of the present consultation in considering whether any further policy changes are needed to support the delivery of new towns.

Plan-Making and Decision-Making

The draft policy sets out proposed planning policy in relation to proposed new town locations. The intent of the draft policy is to bring clarity to how locations should be considered in plan and decision-making. The draft policy sets out how development plans should identify and consider new town locations, setting expectations for placemaking and ensuring infrastructure delivery is appropriately considered. For decision-making, the draft policy sets out how development proposals that are part of, or would affect, new town locations should be considered in order to promote and protect their delivery.

The proposed policy would require LPAs to support the delivery of new towns through development plans at the most appropriate level. It sets a clear expectation for comprehensive masterplanning, based on the placemaking principles (Annex A) and supporting infrastructure. The government believes that new towns must be supported by necessary infrastructure from the outset, and this should be reflected in plan-making. It also sets a requirement that development plans should be based on a town-wide framework masterplan and town-wide design codes, with these reflecting both the placemaking principles and relevant national guidance on these matters.

The draft policy provides a decision-making framework for new town locations which would apply whether or not the development plan identifies locations. The case for new towns has been made extensively in the Taskforce report and the subsequent government response, as summarised in the ‘Case for New Towns’ at section 2.1. To ensure this is adequately considered in decision-making the draft policy sets out that substantial weight should be given to the social and economic benefits of new towns. It also seeks to prevent piecemeal development that would undermine the programme objectives and enable development that supports new towns delivery, as well as setting expectations regarding consistency with the placemaking principles. This will in turn support the government’s high expectations for infrastructure and placemaking. We believe that the policy reduces the need for safeguarding directions, which are issued by the Secretary of State to ensure that new developments do not conflict with the construction of major projects.

Due to the strategic importance of the delivery of new towns to the government’s wider ambitions of economic growth and housing delivery, the draft decision-making policy proposes to make clear that where development proposals to take forward a new town would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt, it is likely that this strategic importance would constitute very special circumstances that would outweigh the potential harms of inappropriate development in the Green Belt. This is intended to provide clarity for LPAs to support development that will deliver the government’s priorities for housing and growth.

Local Housing Need

The initial government response to the New Towns Taskforce report set out that we would implement a fair and consistent approach to how local housing need interacts with the future delivery of new towns. A clear position on this issue is vital in providing certainty to the sector.

In December 2024, the government implemented a new standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with the government’s ambition for 1.5 million new homes over this parliament, and that better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable. We have always been clear that these are ambitious targets, and it is recognised the important contribution new towns can make in realising these ambitions. As such, the government considers that the delivery of housing in new town proposals should contribute towards meeting the identified housing need of relevant strategic and LPAs in all instances.

We will consider whether further policy or guidance is required as to how this approach applies to new town proposals delivered by Development Corporations with full plan-making powers. Where a new town proposal is brought forward via a Development Corporation with plan-making powers, it is recognised that it may not be appropriate for the impacted authority to use the standard method to calculate housing need. In instances where strategic policy-making authorities do not align with local authority boundaries, Planning Practice Guidance sets out that an alternative approach to the standard method may have to be used. We will consider whether amendments are needed to policy and guidance to clarify this position, and set clear expectations for how authorities should calculate their housing needs in these instances, reflecting our intent that impacted LPAs should not be penalised where a plan-making Development Corporation is taking developable land in a new town area.

Land value

When assessing land values, the draft policy sets out that any new town local plans, development orders, masterplans, local plans that relate to a new town, or other planning frameworks should be considered integral to the new town scheme(s) as they apply as a result of the proposal for the new town scheme(s) in the designated area.

The programme sets ambitious expectations for the quality of infrastructure and placemaking in new town developments. As these locations will require substantial new infrastructure, land values are expected to be affected accordingly.

Subject to the relevant legal requirements and environmental assessments, the organisations responsible for delivering new towns will seek to assemble land at the earliest appropriate stage. Their initial approach will be to work with landowners to acquire land through voluntary negotiation. Where negotiations are not successful, the use of compulsory purchase powers may be considered to ensure that land can be planned and delivered comprehensively and that the public value generated through land value capture is maximised.

Any uplift in land value arising from planning decisions and infrastructure investment can then be reinvested to support the provision of affordable housing, community facilities, and other essential public services.

Placemaking

Placemaking is a fundamental part of the programme objectives and is essential to creating successful new communities. The New Towns Taskforce recommended ten placemaking principles (Annex A). Subject to the outcomes of the present consultation, the government intends to take forward the proposed placemaking principles via the planning policy. This will mean that the development of new town locations will be consistent with the proposed placemaking principles in any new town masterplan and design code, which will also be reflected in development plans as they are brought forward.

The principles include a minimum target of 40% affordable housing, of which at least half are to be available for social rent. The government believes that this should be the expectation for all sites within the programme, while recognising some locations will be more able to meet the target than others, according to local conditions such as the volume of development on brownfield land.

We believe that the standards that underpin ambitious delivery are best set through the masterplanning, design coding and statutory plan-making processes. Beyond planning policy, the government offer (Section 4.1) describes a range of levers that can be used to support good placemaking, from funding agreements to land control and placemaking guidance.

Environmental impacts

The report has identified that overall, the proposed Planning Policy has the potential for positive effects across the SEA objectives, mainly reflecting the intent and scope of the placemaking principles, which state that new towns should be designed and delivered to embrace environmental principles, low-carbon and climate resilient buildings and neighbourhoods which help to protect, restore and enhance biodiversity.

Significant positive effects are likely to arise in relation to the population SEA objective as the proposed policy states that through the placemaking principles, new towns should ensure efficient build density to create active and liveable neighbourhoods, affordable and balanced communities, appropriate social infrastructure, high quality public transport and walking/cycling infrastructure, and clear and effective community engagement.

The introductory paragraph to the planning policy restates the case for new towns at section 2.1 and is not subject to consultation.

See the consultation questions for this section.

5. Next steps

This consultation marks the first formal step in shaping the New Towns Programme. We are seeking views through this consultation on our proposed locations for the programme and the findings of the environmental assessment before any final decisions are made.

Following this consultation and completion of the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulation Assessments, the government intends to publish final proposals and confirm the new towns locations later in the Summer. We will publish a full government response to the recommendations of the New Towns Taskforce, including more detail on how our confirmed locations will be delivered in line with our ambition for the programme.

Following confirmation of which locations will be taken forward through the New Towns Programme, the government will use every lever at its disposal to prioritise early delivery of homes and infrastructure. This includes establishing clear programme governance through a single front door to government, agreeing delivery vehicles for selected locations, and mobilising funding and business case work with local partners to enable infrastructure-first masterplanning.

Community engagement is a core part of the placemaking approach set out in our programme objectives. The government will continue to engage with communities, local authorities, delivery bodies, and investors throughout this process to ensure that new towns are planned and delivered to the highest standards of design, sustainability, and long-term stewardship. This consultation will be the first of many opportunities for people to shape the design and creation of the next generation of new towns. Tailored to each location, these opportunities will include formal routes such as future place-specific consultations as well in-person engagement and social impact activities to ensure residents and businesses have a key role in shaping their future community throughout the lifetime of the programme.

Consultation questions

Introduction

Question 1

Which of the following best describes how you are responding to this consultation?

• as an individual member of the public
• on behalf of an organisation
• as both an individual and on behalf of an organisation

Question 2

Which area are you responding about?

• potential new town location
• wider region
• national interest
• I’m not responding about a specific location/region

Question 3

What is your connection to the proposed location/region?

• resident nearby
• landowner
• local authority
• developer
• environmental organisation
• professional interest
• no specific connection
• other

Question 4

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, please select the type of organisation you are responding from below:  

• private sector business
• charity
• social enterprise
• local authority
• government department or agency
• housing association / registered provider
• professional or representative body
• academic institution
• not applicable
• other

Question 5

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, please provide the name of your organisation here.

Question 6

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, what size is your organisation?

• micro (1 to 9 employees)
• small (10 to 49 employees)
• medium (50 to 249 employees)
• large (250+ employees)
• not applicable / don’t know

Section 3.1 - Assessment of locations

Question 7

Thinking about the 13 locations listed, which locations do you believe have positive features that could help achieve the objectives of the New Towns programme?

What do you believe are the positive features of the location(s) you have selected?

Question 8

Do you think any of the 13 locations listed face barriers which could hold back delivery of the New Towns Programme objectives?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered yes, please tell us what you believe the barriers to delivery in the location(s) you have selected are.

Question 9

Do you think the SEA report has identified the main environmental issues relevant to the 13 locations?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, please expand here.

Question 10

Is there any additional environmental information about these locations that the SEA should take into account?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered yes, please tell us what additional information the SEA should take into account

Question 11

Do you have any suggestions for practical mitigation measures to address effects identified in the SEA report?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered yes, please set out the practical mitigation measures here.

Question 12

Do you have any other feedback on the SEA report, including the issues and effects identified therein?

Section 3.3: Proposed New Town locations

Question 13

Do you think the 7 locations proposed for the new towns programme are the ones most likely to meet the programme’s objectives?

(Yes/No/Not sure) 

If no, please set out why you think the proposed locations do not meet our objectives.

Section 4.1 - Government offer

Question 14

Do you agree with the overall government offer for proposed new town locations?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, is there any additional support you think should be offered?

Question 15

Do you think there are any additional interventions that government should consider to ensure design and placemaking quality in new towns?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered yes, please set out the additional interventions government should consider.

Section 4.2 - New Towns planning policy

Question 16

How clear do you find the proposed planning policy?

If you answered unclear, which elements are unclear and how would you suggest changing them?

Question 17

Do you think establishing the placemaking principles in the proposed planning policy is an effective way to implement the placemaking ambition of the programme?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, how do you think the placemaking principles should be implemented?

Question 18

Do you think the proposed planning policy provides sufficient flexibility to new town locations to meet the placemaking principles?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, what other measures could create a flexible approach to the placemaking principles?

Question 19

Is establishing a 40% target for affordable housing an effective way of delivering an ambitious number of affordable homes?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, what changes to the target are needed?

Question 20

Is the proposed planning policy on giving substantial weight in decision making to the social and economic benefits of new towns clear?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, please provide your reasons.

Question 21

Do you agree with the government’s approach to decision making policy on the Green Belt?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, what further change to plan-making or decision-making policy are needed?

Question 22

Do you think the proposed planning policy is sufficient for the purposes of safeguarding land for development as new towns.

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered no, how could the policy go further?

Question 23

Do you think any additional planning policies are needed to support the delivery of the programme objectives?

(Yes/No/Not sure)

If you answered yes, please provide details.

Question 24

Do you have any views on the potential impacts of the New Towns Draft Programme on people or groups with protected characteristics?

Final question

Question 25

Is there anything else you would like to tell us that you think is relevant to this consultation but has not been covered in previous questions?

About this consultation

This consultation document and consultation process have been planned to adhere to the Consultation Principles issued by the Cabinet Office.

Representative groups are asked to give a summary of the people and organisations they represent, and where relevant who else they have consulted in reaching their conclusions when they respond.

Information provided in response to this consultation may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and UK data protection legislation.  In certain circumstances this may therefore include personal data when required by law.

If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, as a public authority, the Department is bound by the information access regimes and may therefore be obliged to disclose all or some of the information you provide. In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will at all times process your personal data in accordance with UK data protection legislation and in the majority of circumstances this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties. A full privacy notice is included below.

Individual responses will not be acknowledged unless specifically requested.

Your opinions are valuable to us. Thank you for taking the time to read this document and respond.

Are you satisfied that this consultation has followed the Consultation Principles?  If not or you have any other observations about how we can improve the process please contact us via the complaints procedure.

Personal data

The following is to explain your rights and give you the information you are entitled to under UK data protection legislation.

Note that this section only refers to personal data (your name, contact details and any other information that relates to you or another identified or identifiable individual personally) not the content otherwise of your response to the consultation.

1. The identity of the data controller and contact details of our Data Protection Officer    

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the data controller. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or by writing to the following address:

Data Protection Officer
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

2. Why we are collecting your personal data  

Your personal data is being collected as an essential part of the consultation process, so that we can contact you to respond to the consultation, and we may also contact you regarding your response and for statistical purposes or use it to contact you about related matters.

We will collect your IP address if you complete a consultation online. We may use this to ensure that each person only completes a survey once. We will not use this data for any other purpose.

For named consultees listed in Annex B, who MHCLG is emailing directly to inform them of the consultation, names and email addresses of relevant persons have either been taken from existing MHCLG systems, provided by other government departments or local authorities, or found on public websites.

Sensitive types of personal data

Please do not share special category personal data or criminal offence data as we have not asked for this. By ‘special category personal data’, we mean information about living individual’s:

• race
• ethnic origin
• political opinions
• religious or philosophical beliefs
• trade union membership
• genetics
• biometrics 
• health (including disability-related information)
• sex life
• sexual orientation

By ‘criminal offence data’, we mean information relating to a living individual’s criminal convictions or offences or related security measures.

3. Our legal basis for processing your personal data

The collection of your personal data is lawful under article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation as it is necessary for the performance by MHCLG of a task in the public interest/in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.  Section 8(d) of the Data Protection Act 2018 states that this will include processing of personal data that is necessary for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department i.e. in this case a consultation. 

There is also a statutory duty to consult. The 2007 Act requires that, before a proposal for establishing unitary local government can be implemented, the Secretary of State must first consult any local authority that is affected by a proposal (but which has not submitted it), and any such other persons as she considers appropriate.

4. With whom we will be sharing your personal data

MHCLG has appointed a ‘data processor’, acting on behalf of the Ministry and under our instruction, to help analyse the responses to this consultation. We will ensure that the processing of your personal data remains in strict accordance with the requirements of the UK data protection legislation.

Your responses may be processed by Artificial Intelligence to analyse the responses to the consultation more efficiently. These tools assist in identifying and mapping themes in consultation responses, but do not make decisions and all outputs are reviewed by staff for accuracy and reliability. Where data is processed by Artificial intelligence, MHCLG will take reasonable and proportionate steps to remove personal data from the consultation responses before using an Artificial Intelligence, tool but this cannot be guaranteed. Respondents should refrain from sharing personal or special category data outside of the administrative questions at the front of the Citizen Space questionnaire. The AI tool processes data securely and does not copy or share data. The data will only be accessed and used by those authorised to do so. Data used in AI tools is not used for training the AI model. MHCLG will take steps to check AI outputs for accuracy and identify and reduce bias.

5. For how long we will keep your personal data, or criteria used to determine the retention period.

Your personal data will be held for 2 years from the closure of the consultation, unless we identify that its continued retention is unnecessary before that point.

6. Your rights, for example access, rectification, restriction, objection

The data we are collecting is your personal data, and you have considerable say over what happens to it. You have the right:

a) to see what data we have about you

b) to ask us to stop using your data, but keep it on record

c) to ask to have your data corrected if it is incorrect or incomplete

d) to object to our use of your personal data in certain circumstances

e) to lodge a complaint with the independent Information Commissioner (ICO) if you think we are not handling your data fairly or in accordance with the law.  You can contact the ICO at https://ico.org.uk/, or telephone 0303 123 1113.

Please contact us at the following address if you wish to exercise the rights listed above, except the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO: dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or

Knowledge and Information Access Team,
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,
Fry Building,
2 Marsham Street,
London
SW1P 4DF

7. Your personal data will not be sent overseas.

8. Your personal data will not be used for any automated decision making.

9. Your personal data will be stored in a secure government IT system

We use a third-party system, Citizen Space, to collect consultation responses. In the first instance your personal data will be stored on their secure UK-based server. Your personal data will be transferred to our secure government IT system as soon as possible, and it will be stored there for 2 years before it is deleted.