Seven locations were proposed for England’s new towns programme in a government announcement on 22 March 2026. The important qualification is that these were locations for consideration: the announcement said final choices would follow consultation and environmental assessment.
The list covered Tempsford in Bedfordshire; Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield; Leeds South Bank; Manchester Victoria North; Thamesmead in Greenwich; Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc in South Gloucestershire; and Milton Keynes.
The programme therefore included more than entirely new settlements. Its proposed geography brought together urban regeneration, expansion around existing communities and the renewal of an established new town. That variety matters when interpreting the label: different locations would start with different transport networks, services and development constraints.
The government described an ambition to plan housing alongside jobs, schools, green space and transport. Its published figures represented prospective delivery over decades, with each location expected to accommodate at least 10,000 homes. They were not completed homes or a statement that all the necessary permissions had been granted.
The draft programme published for consultation the following day made the provisional nature of the selection explicit. Taking the locations forward was subject to the consultation outcome. The process also included a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessments before final proposals.
For people following a particular area, the key distinction is between being included in a national programme and the later decisions needed to deliver development. A proposed location alone does not establish a construction timetable for individual homes, nor does a projected housing total describe homes already available to buy or rent.
This archive report records the March announcement and its consultation context. It does not present the seven proposals as an updated list of final designations. Subsequent decisions, local planning documents and infrastructure arrangements need to be read separately when assessing the position of any individual location.