Committee says it wants to ensure new towns are “accessible and safe for all” as it invites people to have their say

A House of Lords committee is asking for people’s views as it continues its inquiry into the government’s ‘new towns’ programme.

The upper chamber’s built environment committee launched its inquiry earlier this year and, now that the government’s New Towns Taskforce has announced its preferred locations – including Crews Hill and ‘Chase Park’ in Enfield – the committee will be launching a second module entitled ‘Building Communities’.

This module will focus on how to “ensure that each of the new towns and expanded settlements can become thriving, successful communities where families want to live and set down roots”.

The first module looked at the fundamental legal, financial, fiscal, and governance frameworks that need to be in place before any construction of new towns can begin.

The committee will consider the “essential components of high-quality placemaking” and how to apply them to the different proposed sites, which pose different challenges and opportunities. The committee says it will explore issues of design, aesthetics, and green space, and “how to ensure that these new towns are accessible and safe for all”.

Lord Gascoigne, chair of the House of Lords built environment committee, said: “Now that the New Towns Taskforce has made its recommendations, it’s time to get on with building this next generation of new towns. But we need to make sure that the towns we build are places where people genuinely want to make their homes and raise their families.

“That means building communities as well as houses. Each of the sites recommended by the taskforce has its own peculiar characteristics and will pose unique challenges, but we want do all that we can to set out how each of them, and their successors, can succeed.

“I’m excited to be starting this next module and truly want to hear from as many different voices as possible. We know from our first module that people of all ages and from all backgrounds have strong opinions, insights and ideas about new towns and we urge all of you to respond to this call for evidence and give us your answers to our questions.”

The deadline for the submission of written evidence is Monday, 1st December. To take part:
Visit committees.parliament.uk/work/9410/new-towns-creating-communities/

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