8 COMMENT Katy Davis


Why new towns must not eclipse town centre regeneration


Katy Davis at Carter Jonas explains why the next decade of delivery depends on places we already have.


T


INCREASING TOWN CENTRE HOUSING IS NOT SIMPLY A RESPONSE TO TARGETS


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he renewed interest in new towns shows that the Government has recognised the value of planning as a driver of economic growth. Large scale settlements will be important in shaping long term spatial strategy and meeting housing needs.


But if we allow the political focus on new towns to dominate the agenda, we risk neglecting the places that can deliver most quickly, including our existing town centres. While Ministers talk in terms of decades, many high street schemes could be delivered within a single plan period. Hounslow’s town centre regeneration, for example, moved from consent to completion in under 10 years.


In my view we do not have the luxury of choosing between new towns or town centres.


NEW TOWNS ARE AMBITIOUS BUT SLOW New settlements require strategic land assembly, new utilities, new transport links and often new governance structures. They can unlock long term growth but they are complicated, capital intensive and sensitive to changes in policy and markets. They rely on stable funding and political momentum over years, which is rarely guaranteed. Town centres, by contrast, have much of the infrastructure already in place. Many sites sit within strong public transport networks and benefi t from political support for change Revisions to the NPPF to introduce a default “yes” for homes around railway stations reinforce the potential of sustainable urban locations and should strengthen the case for centrally located housing.


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