Written evidence - Prof Doug Clelland and Dr Nigel Moor (NTP0007)

THIS EVIDENCE IS IN THREE PARTS

Firstly, we address the Committee’s Five Values.

Secondly, in support of these five values, we present a vision for a TEMPSFORD NEW TOWN of 1200 hectares – a compact heart for the OXFORD CAMRIDGE ARC with 25,000 dwellings, 230 hectares of research / commercial space, and two large areas of parkland / flood management water areas. It will be located on a strategic rail interchange and dual carriageway.

Thirdly, we provide answers to the Committee’s questions.

SUMMARY

We commence this contribution by addressing the five values that the committee themselves started with in their briefing note for the submission of evidence. To best do that, we focus on the potential for a Tempsford new town in Bedfordshire, where positive outcomes to all-five values can be achieved.

In terms of 1) generating economic growth through its location within an advanced science and technology cluster (the Oxford – Cambridge Arc); 2) minimising loss of valuable land; 3) being able to engender a wide range of housing types and tenures; 4) having the inherent credentials of achieving zero-carbon ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions; 5) capability of becoming a dynamic and enjoyable place to live (in the best of the English tradition) – this new town’s location is probably as close to an ‘ideal’ as is possible, calling for it to be widely championed.

As the engineering configurations of the East-West rail route and the A421 dual carriageway extension impact the site for a new town in terms of access from north to south, this requires political intervention at the earliest possible moment.

The answers we provide to the committee’s questions emanate from long professional experience, including close involvement in a period in the 1990s when government was attempting to initiate innovation in house building through the Millennial Communities programme. The extent of the experience brought to bear on the answers by the authors can be found at the end of this email.

We believe that the orientation required to make this new era of settlement-building a success needs to be politically cross-party, long-term and viewed as a high-priority national mission.

1.Values

The Committee has identified five key values which will guide the course of this inquiry. These values reflect the popular consensus on what make a good new town that both meets existing needs and is likely to endure. We would ask that submitted written evidence considers these values, and where possible incorporates them into discussion.

1.1            To best address this core matter we have decided to focus on the location for a New Town identified above.

We have been working on this for well over a year, and have submitted evidence about its significance – indeed its unique characteristics – to the government’s New Towns Taskforce (30 pages) and the East-West Rail alignment / timetabling consultation (27 pages).

In the latter, we argued that the EWR line as far as Tempsford should be in place by the earlier date of 2030.

Fig. 1

1.               Wellbeing: is this (New Town) good for the health and wellbeing of people who (will) live here?

1.1.1              Inasmuch as there is solid evidence of the relationship between where people live and work, and their health and wellbeing – because their lives are not under threat – then living in a new town in a location with excellent economic prospects has to be a good choice.

2.               Accessibility: is this (New Town) accessible and affordable for people with different needs?

1.1.2              A newly constructed dual carriageway (A421) crossing the site will give the Tempsford New Town excellent road connections.

It is also a location where N-S and E-W rail routes will intersect, with rolling stock that provides for accessibility needs.

The new interchange station will put easy movement among top priorities. New bus routes will have vehicles that will be up to the minute in terms of convenience.

From the outset, master planning will take account of the needs of all citizens. As to affordability, while that will inevitably be driven by commercial interests, a Development Corporation and political mechanisms can influence layers of affordability.

3.               Connectivity: is this (New Town) development easy and safe to travel within, and to/from?

1.1.3              Within the development, master planning and the detailed design of each ‘patch’ of development will place easy and safe travel for all ages high on the design agenda. It is in a location where N-S and E-W rail routes will intersect giving excellent connectivity.

Fig 2

4.               Sustainability: is this (New Town) good for the local and global environment?

1.1.4              From its inception, the ambition can be for zero carbon development. This will require use of sophisticated auditing techniques where, in every aspect of development (including peripherals such as employee travel) a public duty will be to maintain a balance between energy generated within the designated new town area, imported renewably sourced electricity and consumption during planning, construction and inhabitation. This will require major power source(s) to be funded and built on site. River flood mitigation will be central to master planning, both in terms of engineering and landscape provision for the enjoyment of residents.

5.               Longevity: is this (New Town) going to stay functional for future generations?

1.1.5              Master planning can build-in adaptability at all scales – from the re-configuration of individual dwellings, ensuring ‘loose fit’ internal planning of non-residential structures and enabling some land to be altered in terms of use or held back for future development. Lessons from many of England’s best towns – many of which have remained viable for centuries – can be applied.

2.Tempsford New Town

2.1              BACKGROUND

Additional work on a possible Tempsford New Town, undertaken for this evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee, follows submissions made to the New Towns Taskforce Call for Evidence (December 2024) and the East-West-Rail Consultation on the Oxford to Cambridge Route (January 2025).

Representations have also been made to the Department of Transport concerning necessary design features of the construction of the part of the A421 dual carriageway that crosses the site in order to facilitate ease of circulation within the new town.

2.2              LAND DRAW

Two possible designation areas have been considered.

After weighing the pros and cons, the larger one was set aside as being potentially only needed in the long term. The characteristics and advantages of a compact new town were explored.

Fig. 3

2.3 A COMPACT TEMPSFORD NEW TOWN: Indicative Land Use Distribution.

2.3.1     Total area: 1200 hectares (4.60 square miles).

2.3.2     Developable area unaffected by flood plains: 920 hectares (3.55 square miles). Planning development will carefully integrate existing settlements, buildings of note, and landscape features.

2.3.3     Area for strategic open space: 280 hectares (1.05 square miles). This will include playing fields for all schools, existing nature areas etc.

2.3.4     Assumed ratio of housing to non-housing uses: 75% / 25%.

2.3.5     Non-housing: 230 hectares (1.16 square miles) gross area for science / technology / commercial / local open space / roads etc. (Note: the Cambridge Science Park, the largest in the UK is 61 hectares / 0.2 square miles). This would create a larger, more dynamic centre than that of Milton Keynes and would be centred around a public square associated with the new rail interchange.

2.3.6     Housing: 690 hectares (2.66 square miles) gross area.

2.3.7     Assumed net housing proportion: 72.5%.

2.3.8     At an indicative average net density of 50 dwellings per hectare on 500 hectares (includes only land developed for housing and directly associated uses (i.e. access roads, incidental open space and landscaping, private garden space, car parking areas, and children's play areas) this would mean some 25,000 homes being built in a compact Tempsford New Town. Such a density lies between that of Portsmouth (nine districts with very good public transport links and close to local facilities of 100 dwellings per hectare), and Milton Keynes (approximately 35 dwellings per hectare).

2.3.9     At 2.3 persons per household this would result in a population of 57,500. For reference, the following English towns are of similar size: Bognor Regis, Durham, Hereford, Lancaster, Leamington Spa, Rochester, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Taunton, Torquay, Welwyn Garden City, Weymouth and Yeovil.

2.3.10 This proposed density at Tempsford equates to12,500 persons per square mile across the whole new town area of 4.60 square miles (1200 hectares). This density compares with 16,500 for Portsmouth and 2450 for Milton Keynes, reflecting the compact nature of the Tempsford linear new town.

2.4              EXPANSION

2.4.1              Should the future require it, the town could be extended to involve a larger land draw extending into Cambridgeshire as shown above in Fig. 3 (a).

2.5              COMMITTED AND PLANNED INFRASTRUCTURE

The context for this new town as far as infrastructure is concerned involves both new rail and road routes.

2.5.1               NEW RAILWAY

2.5.1.1              Route Sections determined by EWR for the line between Oxford and Cambridge. These affect time-tabling.

Fig. 4

2.5.1.2              The EWR consultation was organised on the following sections:

Oxford to Bletchley / Fenny Stratford to Kempston / Bedford / Clapham Green to Colesden / Roxton to east of St Neots / Croxton to Toft / Comberton to Shelford / Cambridge.

2.5.1.3              The EWR section involving a Tempsford New Town lies in nthe route section between ‘Roxton to east of St Neots.’

Fig. 5

2.5.1.4              The ‘Roxton to east of St Neots’ section comprises the construction of a new railway over approximately 10km (6.2 miles), between South Brook west of Roxton, and where the B1428 Cambridge Road joins the existing A428 at the roundabout east of St Neots.

2.5.1.5              For the purposes of a coherent layout for a new town, the preferred alignment for the rail route through Tempsford is Alignment 1c. This alignment option would run to the north of the Black Cat roundabout, the existing A421 and the new A421 dual carriageway. It would continue on embankment up to 15m high until it reaches Roxton Road, which it would cross on a viaduct up to around 15m high. The Wyboston Chawston and Colesden Footpath 10 (linked to Footpath A10) would be diverted around the embankment and under the viaduct at this point. The railway would remain on viaduct to cross over the A1 to the north of Black Cat roundabout and the River Great Ouse, parallel with the new A421 dual carriageway, before crossing under a raised Barford Road close to ground level. It would rise on an embankment up to a height of around 8m before returning to a viaduct around 10m high to accommodate the new Tempsford station and crossing of the ECML before returning to embankment and heading north. EWR Co are considering options for this alignment.

2.5.1.6              Alignment 1c will include a new Tempsford Station to serve existing communities and potential future development in the Tempsford area. The station would include two East West Rail platforms and two East Coast Main Line platforms, with a station building and passenger connections between the two railways. Step free access would be provided throughout the station, along with an active travel hub including cycling facilities, bus facilities and a car park. The railway tracks would be elevated on a new viaduct in the location of the proposed station. The proposed station associated with Alignment 1c would be approximately 9m above ground level. In both options the station would be accessed from a realigned Barford Road.

2.5.1.7              A temporary East Coast Main Line Construction Logistics Hub would be introduced between the proposed route alignment and the ECML to support the construction of the new railway. The proximity of the ECML would enable ballast, sleepers and track to arrive by rail and be distributed along the route. This would make the delivery of construction materials more efficient and lessen the potential impacts from heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic on the environment and communities. The location and connection with the ECML is relatively central and so could support work on the project towards both Bedford and Cambridge. The hub would include sidings, facilities for bulk storage of track ballast, and various construction plant and trains for delivering and installing sleepers, ballast and rail.

2.5.1.8              There are two locations (Option B and Option F) being considered for the hub, both of which support Alignment option 1c: We have argues that Option B, east of the proposed station, Little Barford and the ECML, is the best location as it will create no obstructions to the integration of the north and the south of a new town at Tempsford.

2.5.2 THE NEW A421 DUAL CARRIAGEWAY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH EWR

Fig. 6

The route of the A421 upgrading to dual carriageway. The section impacting a Tempsford New Town is predominately between the Black Cat Junction and the East Coast Mainline at the centre of the image before carrying on north east to the Cambridge Road Junction.

2.5.2.1              Crossing the Ouse Valley, EWR would run along the western side of the new A421 dual carriageway past Little Barford, initially on embankment before entering cutting. A traction power connection would be made between Little Barford power station and the railway. In a cutting around 9m deep, the railway would pass beneath the B1046 St Neots Road, which would require a new bridge over the railway (replacing the one currently being constructed over the new A421 dual carriageway), though it would remain close to existing ground level.

Continuing north, the route would rise onto a viaduct over Hen Brook, followed by a short embankment and a new bridge to cross the tributary of Fox Brook before going into a shallow cutting beneath a new footpath overbridge.

The railway would continue in cutting beneath Cambridge Road that links with the new A421 dual carriageway. Cambridge Road would be diverted slightly to the north.

2.5.2.2              A Tempsford New Town should involve urban development both north and south of this new road.

Our concern is whether the current construction design has taken this possibility into account. This has been pursued with the Department of Transport. (See Fig 7 below) and raised in correspondence with Lord Hendy.

2.5.2.3              Necessary connections from the north to south of a Tempsford New Town affecting both the A421 and the EWR route would be needed to facilitate integration.

The following Diagram illustrates this as well as the advantages of Option B for the East Coast Main Line Construction Logistics Hub, in that it does not impact on the footprint of a new town development.

Fig. 7

2.5.2.4              EWR-led consultation on the preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge took place from 14th November 2024 to 24th January 2025. We strongly advocated that upcoming consultation examined constructing the next phase of East West Rail beyond Bedford as far as Tempsford by 2030, where a new station would permit integration with the existing London to Edinburgh line.

2.6              SUPPORTIVE DIAGRAMS

The four diagrams and supporting narrative that follow may give the committee a sense of a Tempsford New Town.

Fig. 8

The River Great Ouse to the west and the River Ivel to the east present challenges, as the Environment Agency foresee future flood risk. These are shown above in blue. Both areas can be landscape assets providing the new town with strategic open spaces, renewable energy sites, school playing fields and other outdoor activities.

Fig. 9

2.6.2 STRATEGY PLAN

An active centre, 25,000 dwellings, 230 hectares of Research and Commercial space and strategic landscape areas is formed in a linear settlement of 1200 hectares.

Fig. 10

2.6.3 A PATCHWORK ‘TAPESTRY’ OF DEVELOPMENT

Tempsford New Town will be a linear settlement stretching southwards from the edges of St Neots to the northern edges of Sandy. Its centre of gravity will be a town square adjacent to the proposed rail interchange, with associated multi-level car parking (similar to Wokingham Station). This will differ from the likes of the recently built Worcester Park Station, where acres of open carparking succeed only in achieving a functional ‘machine’ rather than a station contributing to the atmosphere of a town. The design of the interchange must be subservient to the design of the town square, its landscape and its buildings.

Fig. 11

2.6.4 THREADS OF SEVEN MAIN ELECTRIC BUS ROUTES

With stops within a 5 to 10-minute maximum walk from all dwellings, and connecting with local centres (schools at their core), all routes start and terminate at a covered bus station immediately west of the town centre’s Civic Square.

2.7              TEMPSFORD: SOME FEATURES OF A ‘KNOCKOUT’ TOWN

2.7.1 A new town can be created with at least 25,000 dwellings, strategic open space and 230 hectares of research / technology located on a pivot between Oxford, Cambridge, London and the north – with ideal rail and road communications. It can be a canvas for showing excellence in Britain’s abilities.

2.7.2              Its design should set out to grasp essential Englishness, not in a pseudo Georgian manner such as at Nansleden near Newquay in Cornwall which has recently been in the media, but first of all as somewhere that continues the long and proven tradition of market places and public squares – unimpeded by A-roads and surface car parking. With clear planning from the outset, Tempsford New Town can develop a sense of place at its centre, and at all local nodes. In that sense it will be different from the post-war new towns, and most certainly from Milton Keynes, the success of which is economic, the absence of spatial identity quite extreme.

2.7.3              Civic Design

It is more than 60 years since Gordon Cullen’s masterpiece Townscape was published in 1961, a decade after the Festival of Britain, with which he was involved as a designer. The book shares the enthusiasm and optimism of that post- war era, evoking confidence that architecture and civic design had importance and could contribute positively to what we now call place–making. Cullen’s contribution was the study of townscape and the architectural qualities in the English town and city.

But his approach demanded a public patronage which was lost in the 1980’s as disdain for place-making among developers, together with a free-for-all approach adopted by architects (surviving in a fiercely competitive world) resulted in discord and lack of identity. Consequently the issue of civic design, or urban design, or place-making or urbanism – we grapple with the concept – and our inability to emulate those urban qualities of earlier periods in our island’s history still haunts us.

Five years ago, the report of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission was published. The approach was summarised in a single sentence in the report: “Urban design matters for health and happiness and more people should understand why.” The report runs to nearly 55,000 words and contains 45 policy propositions but fails to demonstrate the essential design elements that positive place-making requires.

Ironically the photograph on the back cover of the report features the centre of Boston in Lincolnshire. Some idea of the importance of the town in medieval England is gained from the size of that town’s market place. It is immense and still acts as a forum for trade, commerce and being part of a community.

In contemporary times the likes of that huge market place is not easily replicated, but, as proven in many recent developments in European cities and towns, important buildings can abut onto a significant Tempsford civic space.

In two senses there are historical precedents that resonate.

2.7.3.1              Tempsford is located in Eastern England which contains many market towns of great quality that today demonstrate the urban qualities we respect and are ambitious to re-interpret.

Boston, Grantham, King’s Lynn, Saffron Walden and Stamford for example, offer the master planners and designers of Tempsford wonderful indications of appropriate architectural scale, capable of being curated in the new town, without recourse to historical pastiche.

Tempsford offers a unique opportunity unequalled for generations to create a town of great civic quality.

Fig. 12

The lesson of these and many other English towns should be a priority for a Development Corporation – one that is critically analysed rather than viewed as a stylistic panacea.

2.7.3.2              Secondly, there are recent exemplary developments in Britain and Europe that have shown the way forward in terms of innovative planning and architecture, the latter including Amersfoort, Berlin, Hannover, Malmö and other sponsoring cities and governments.

Fig. 13

2.7.3.3              Closer to home, the University of Cambridge-led Eddington Masterplan shows that there is an alternative in Britain to mass housing estates as a way of meeting the required number of new houses and new places in the decades ahead.

Fig. 14

2.7.4              The inter-connected elements of a town

This requires the guiding vision of a Gordon Cullen of our times, someone who understands both the structure and ‘rules’ of traditional English towns, together with the needs of the contemporary world in terms of family aspirations (whatever the size), investors in the technological industries likely to be drawn to Tempsford New Town and the construction industry.

2.7.4.1              The new Interchange Station

While a fundamental part of the marvellous connectivity that would be enjoyed by a Tempsford New Town, the heights of the bridges and embankments crossing the site, required from an engineering point of view for both the new EWR line and the A421 dual carriageway, present design challenges to prevent overwhelming the scale of the town’s central areas. While the Interchange Station should be compact, because of the height of track necessary to cross the River Great Ouse and the ECML, it should probably be in the ‘second line’ of the civic realm. An example of what this means might be Helmsley in Yorkshire where the remnants of the castle stand off from the main public space.

Fig. 15

Helmsley with the castle as background to the main public space

That being said the Tempsford interchange station will be integrated with the civic square by way of pathways, escalators and travellators.

2.7.4.2              Tempsford Civic Square

While the scale of the rail infrastructure and the A421 dual carriageway suggests design innovation, the new town offers an opportunity, frequently found in cities of Western Europe, of integrating a railway station with surrounding civic and other buildings to create a sense of arrival and commonality, so often lacking in Britain’s urban realm. The reasons for this are historical. The railway mania of the mid nineteenth century in Britain created commercial duplication of lines and stations. Some forty years later in Belgium, Germany and France, central planning enabled stations to become expressions of civic pride.

Examples in Britain are rare. Hamilton Square in Birkenhead is a square of Georgian elegance containing the town hall and other civic buildings. The station with its tower built of red brick to accommodate the hydraulic lift system – only St Pancras is higher – and likened by Simon Jenkins to a building of the Florentine Renaissance, was designed by the Liverpool architect George Gray. Sadly commercial activity has recently moved away and the square is deserted and neglected.

In the twentieth century Milton Keynes stands as one of the few examples where a new station has been built alongside commercial buildings, but it lacks the coherence of new European examples (eg: Südkreuz, Berlin). This was mainly because of the reluctance of British Rail in the 1970’s to commit to the ambition of the Development Corporation, who wanted to build a new station to delimit the western end of the new central business district of the new town. Eventually a cost sharing deal was agreed in 1978. The station and office buildings alongside forming a new Station Square were designed by the Corporation’s architect Stuart Mosscrop and opened in May1982. Passenger numbers dropped during Covid-19 but latterly are again approaching nearly 7 million a year, demonstrating the huge attraction that a station represents.

In an announcement (29.01.25), the Chancellor provided support to the East West Rail scheme to allow Tempsford station to be delivered under an accelerated timeframe. By delivering a phased approach to the construction of a station at Tempsford, new housing and growth opportunities can then be brought forward. This announcement was part of a range of plans unveiled by the Chancellor to boost growth along the Oxford-Cambridge corridor.

Proposals on the site options and detailed design of Tempsford station is under review after the latest public consultation on East West Rail ended recently. Feedback from this consultation is now being analysed and the final design of the railway, including the location of the station at Tempsford, will be presented at a statutory consultation which is due to be held in the next 12 months. Welcome though this announcement is, we still believe that the line from Oxford to Tempsford should be open by 2030.

The identification of a new station at Tempsford and its development potential are also welcome. We believe that the Development Consent Order to be submitted to the Secretary of State should identify the overall scope of these areas so that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) accompanying the application can properly assess the impact of these areas and identify mitigation measures. In the case of R (Ashchurch RPC) v Tewsbury BC 3rd Feb 2023 heard in the Court of Appeal, it was held that where infrastructure proposals enable development to come forward, an EIA of the development is required at the initial stage, and cannot be cured by carrying out an EIA at a later stage. The authors have submitted evidence to The New Towns Task Force of the scope of a new town at Tempsford, which is provided in support of these representations and is a guide to the extent of land necessary.

2.7.4.3              The town centre

Every effort should be made to orchestrate the functions around a civic space that will bring about a vital and robust public realm in the best tradition of the English market town.

2.7.4.4              The housing ‘patches’ of the Tempsford Tapestry.

Fig. 10 indicates some 80 residential areas each of which can be designed to be full of character without reverting to nostalgic pseudo-historical architectural style. Given that the town will be research-oriented in terms of employment, the area east of the ECML could include flats as well as houses.

2.7.4.5              Schools

There will be the need for 23 average-sized primary schools and 3 average sized secondary schools. (1) Primary schools will contribute to place-making within the residential patches, while consideration should be given to establishing one academy of around 3000 pupils (Nottingham Academy and Walton High in Milton Keynes are precedents) as part of the civic centre for Tempsford.

(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-homes-fact-sheet-5-new-homes-and-school-places/fact-sheet-5-new-homes-and-school-places

2.7.4.6              Local nodes.

These will be integral to housing ‘patches’, accessible by bus, with primary schools at their core – also providing commercial and leisure activities.

2.7.4.7              Electric Buses

Tempsford New Town is a prime example where Britain can join the gathering charge to rely solely on electric power for public transportation. Fig 11 suggests a pattern of routes.

2.7.4.8              Strategic and local open space

At As far of river flood mitigation design two large parks can be created. Apart from there being water for leisure purposes, these areas can provide for school playing fields and renewable energy infrastructure. Local ‘pocket’ parks will be integral to the design of all residential ‘patches’.

2.7.5               Financing New Towns

2.7.5.1              The original New Towns programme

The basic financial model was for many years as follows: an area of countryside was designated as a new town under the act; land was bought from the owners at agricultural prices; the government borrowed to invest in housing, commercial premises, and supporting infrastructure such as sewers, schools, churches or open spaces

The original British New Towns were primarily financed by the government through Treasury loans. These funds were used to establish development corporations, which were responsible for managing and developing the new towns. Development corporations were given the power to compulsorily purchase land and were tasked with building housing, industry, offices, infrastructure, and open spaces. 

The approach involved a number of innovative features specific to the New Towns programme:

•                   Development Corporations:

The New Towns Act of 1946 set up development corporations, which were essentially government-appointed boards tasked with the development of each new town. These corporations were given considerable autonomy, including the ability to purchase land and make decisions about development. 

•                   Compulsory Purchase:

A key aspect of the funding model was the power of compulsory purchase. This allowed development corporations to acquire land for development, even if the owners didn't agree to sell. 

•                   Asset Disposals:

As the development of a new town progressed, the Development Corporations would dispose of assets (like housing) to the government, and then the Commission for New Towns (CNT) was responsible for selling these assets to repay the government loans. 

•                   Profit Reinvestment:

While the Development Corporations could benefit from increased land values due to development, any net profits were returned to the government, effectively reinvesting in other new town developments

2.7.5.2              The New Programme

Now more than 50 years later, in economic times as challenging as then, if not more severe, is this financing model still suitable? Government, unwilling to add more public debt to their finances, are looking again at the private funding system (PFI) designed to keep public projects off the government books. The Conservative Chancellor Philip Hammond cancelled PFI’s successor, PF2, in 2018, responding to criticisms of both the extravagant profits taken from the projects and inflated maintenance charges. Currently, the public sector spends more than £10bn each year in unitary charges on over 700 projects. The latest Treasury figures, show  £123bn of PFI payments to be made on existing signed deals, with payments running into the 2050’s.

In a new Bennett Institute report (1) Thomas Aubrey (2) questioned reliance on PFI’s for infrastructure development and recommends a more integrated approach using development corporations. He argues that by leveraging the Land Value Capture provisions in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA), the UK can finance large-scale infrastructure and housing projects more cost-effectively, without the drawbacks of PFIs.

Another critical issue that does not yet appear to have been sufficiently addressed by the government is the lack of integration between transport and housing. While the Maier Review (3) did indicate that transport projects have the potential to support agglomeration economies and meet housing demand, there is still no singular approach to the built environment. When Paris and Gothenburg decided to embark on major city expansion projects, they integrated housing with transport as part of the same project. This lack of integration is one reason why the UK is so poor at delivering higher rates of housebuilding. Once the infrastructure is built and planning permission is granted, plots can be sold to housebuilders at higher values. This increase in land values was used to fund the wave of post-war new towns, as well as many new European urban extensions. If government continue to push PFI projects they will struggle to realise any gains from land value capture, which could otherwise release over £200bn over the next 20 years.

Instead of trying to develop complex and costly new PFI arrangements, development corporations could raise finance directly from the capital market, then contracting out the delivery of the infrastructure and housing. These projects will require the same level of detail, as is the case for PFI-style projects, to attract private investors to buy the bonds. Moreover, these projects will be significantly cheaper given that there is no need to ‘guarantee’ a profit to the equity providers alongside a significantly lower cost of capital. This financing approach could be particularly suitable for Tempsford which requires both infrastructure and urban development investment.

(1)             The Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, 24th September 2024.

(2)             Thomas Aubrey, Visiting Senior Fellow, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science.

(3)             Rail and Urban Transport Review: An Assessment and Ambition for a New Government, Juergen Maier CBE, Arup, August 2024.

In the light of the above, funding might be considered in the following ways:

2.7.5.3              The rail and road infrastructure

Services on East-West Rail from Oxford to Milton Keynes have commenced and in January 2025 the Chancellor committed government to finance the extension to Bedford (Connection phase 1) and then to Cambridge (Connection phase 2). Plans are now to move quicker to deliver a mainline station at Tempsford. The project is estimated to cost between £5.7bn and £6.6bn. This dwarfs the funding by government to date of around £1bn, most of which has been spent on the line from Oxford to Milton Keynes.  This leaves a huge hole for government  to  fill.

The £14·8 billion Crossrail project to deliver the new Elizabeth line east–west railway across London is the UK’s largest transport project. Getting it into reality was only possible through an innovative programme of finance, funding and value capture, which saw London business and future passenger revenues contribute approximately two thirds of the cost. This project provides the experience and lessons learned from the funding structure established to enable the Crossrail project to proceed. At the outset of the establishment of the Crossrail project to deliver the new Elizabeth line east–west railway across London, the UK government’s preferred delivery model was a privately financed concession. When this proved to be unachievable the Treasury capped the contribution from the central exchequer at around a third of the overall cost, requiring the remaining funding to be generated from the ‘beneficiaries’ of the project. The Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) – together the ‘sponsors’ – collaborated with the business and property development communities in London to assemble a finance and funding package.  This provides an exemplar for the financing of the remaining rail link to Cambridge.

With the abolition of the Expressway originally planned for the Oxford- Cambridge corridor road investment is likely to be much less. It can be financed from s106 agreements negotiated between the Development Corporation and the developers of the housing and commercial elements of the new town. The construction of the A421 dual carriageway serves Tempsford directly.

2.7.5.4              The town centre mixed functions

This is likely to be a mix of financing sources involving not only the private sector (entertainment and leisure), (transport), the NHS (hospital and health centres), the public sector (university, schools), (public administration), charities and bequests (art galleries and museum) with the Development Corporation providing oversight and commissioning.

2.7.5.5              The technology campus

Cambridge and Oxford universities have had a long experience of developing science parks since the late Sir John Bradfield Senior Bursar of Trinity College founded the Cambridge Science Park in 1970 on the outskirts of the city. The Development Corporation should invite both universities to share their experience so as to sponsor an OxCam Technology Campus and seek public and private investment.

2.7.5.6              The social infrastructure, public open space and parks

This will again involve a mixture of public and private investment. The Master Plan will determine the location of these facilities within the neighbourhoods, which will subsequently

2.7.5.8              The housing ‘patches’

These would be financed by housing developers acting under guidelines from the Development Corporation, the strategic master plan and a ‘master developer’.

3.Answers to Questions

3.1 GENERAL

What do you anticipate will be most significant impact(s) of the Government’s proposed new towns?

i)                     The opportunity to plan ahead so as to introduce new systems of building production particularly prefabrication, and connectivity for example light rail, guided bus or tram. Water management both in terms of drainage , flood relief and water supply will be increasingly important and require long– term planning.

ii)                   As more and more housing delivery is concentrated in the New Towns this will relieve pressure on the Green Belt and other protected areas.

iii)                  The opportunity to introduce modern sustainable design into Britain’s housing stock (eg: Eddington, Cambridgeshire)

3.2              SPECIFIC

1.               a. Over what timescale do you expect this(/these) to be realised?

An initial programme of 25-35 years

2.               How do the proposed new towns and expanded settlements differ from previous initiatives over the last 80 years?

The original new towns were a response to the ravages of war and the need to accelerate the rate of house building to replace the housing lost during the war. Now we have a greater number of challenges, not only to meet housing needs, but to deal with climate change and the implications for human health, the need for resilience in the face of catastrophic weather conditions, and getting to carbon zero by 2045.

3.               What, if any, are the barriers to the development of good quality new towns?

A house building industry that fears innovation and has a business model buttressed by the speculative profits generated by rising land values.

4.               What current policy channels exist to delivery new towns, and are they sufficient? If insufficient   what policy changes would facilitate their development?

The original new towns legislation is still on the statue books and has been expanded to permit locally driven designation. These initiatives face an over zealous scrutiny and the opportunity for delaying legal challenge. This scrutiny should be confined to parliament – these are national projects – and determined by parliamentary committee though the hybrid bill procedure rather than the sclerotic planning inquiry system.

5.               What do you think future modules in our inquiry should examine when considering what makes a successful new town?

i)                    Prefabrication (off and on site)

ii)                 Land value capture

iii)               Sustainable design

iv)               Local governance

v)                 Connectivity

vi)               Labour supply and skills;

vii)             Community infrastructure

3.3              THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

6.               What should be the respective roles and responsibilities of local and regional government in the delivery of new towns?

Regional government should provide the strategic framework so that new towns and expanded towns can be designated at locations which will facilitate their rapid economic and social growth, maximising their locational advantage. Local government should assist this momentum and support the growth of “shadow” councils that will ultimately take over governance from the development corporations as successfully achieved in Milton Keynes and Telford for example. Milton Keynes is the exemplar for this vision. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 256, 385 and current plans are for Milton Keynes to reach a population of 400,000 by 2050. This remarkable record was rewarded on 15th August 2022 when the Crown Office announced that the (then) borough should have city status. The city has consistently benefited from strong economic growth, and been ranked by the think tank Centre for Cities as one of the five fastest growth cities in Britain. Put simply new city building is one of the most successful economic innovations that central government can initiate.

7.               How can central Government support the planning and delivery of new towns?

Milton Keynes was financed by a beneficent Exchequer that provided development finance at favourable rates of interest, despite a prevailing adverse economic climate. The debts were subsequently repaid from land sales and business rents. Government will need to similarly adopt a long -term approach to financing development.

8.               What is the most effective economic model for building and managing a new town?

Land value capture where the land needed for development is acquired at an acquisition value less than the open market value, and this betterment is ring fenced to facilitate the construction of the new town.

9.               What role should community engagement play in developing and planning new towns?

Community engagement is critical to the social acceptance and success of a new town but although many means of community engagement have been tried, the town or parish council model has stood the test of time, particularly when dealing with the problems of delivery during construction. It is transparent and accessible, answerable to residents and subject to regular scrutiny at the ballot box. It can also meet and share objectives with the development agency bringing a local and principled focus.

3.4              STRATEGIC MASTER PLANNING

10.          What elements should be prioritised in the strategic master planning of new towns?

Our work on the proposed new town at Tempsford located at the junction of East West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge and the London Edinburgh main line demonstrates the importance of an infrastructure design that can accommodate subsequent stages of growth that does not compromise ease of movement and connectivity, whilst facilitating economic expansion. Critical to this is a transport model such as light rail, guided bus or tram which minimises congestion and promotes accessibility throughout the new town. A key element to economic success.

10 a. In what ways can master plans support the long-term economic viability of new towns?

As referenced above the master plan should minimise congestion whilst facilitating economic    growth. Residential areas should be self – sustaining with their own character and identity promoted by the disposition of open space and community facilities. While not discouraged because electric cars will be the norm, car parking should be planned on a communal basis so as to avoid the car dominated public realm characteristic of much recent housing in Britain. The new town should welcome start -ups and provide affordable business space. The quality of the environment is increasingly an incentive for entrepreneurs to invest in a locality.

11.          On what basis, and using what metrics, should the location and size of new towns be decided?

Of the 100 or so proposals submitted to the New Towns Taskforce, many are in essence expanded towns. This was also characteristic of the earlier programme as Peterborough and Northampton were expanded in this way. Their growth to some extent was organic depending on the particular circumstances existing in each era. The movement of Thomas Cook to Peterborough was a pivotal moment in its evolution. The Taskforce will be in a position to evaluate the opportunity that each expanded town proposal presents.

Judging the size of a new town will depend on economic circumstances. Milton Keynes has demonstrated the economic success of scale, with some of the highest productivity rates in the country. Its exceptional locational advantages located between London and Birmingham with good transport links has attracted business. There are few other locations with these benefits. Tempsford has a number of these advantages and the opportunity should not be missed. Completion of the East West Rail link to Cambridge should be a national priority and needs to occur before 2040, the current target date.

    b.  In which types of locations and in which parts of the country would you prioritise the development of new towns and why?

         As explained above the number of locations for new towns is likely to be limited if  economies of scale are to be optimised. Tempsford is an exceptional example and other locations with a combination of excellent rail access and an economically buoyant catchment area should be chosen. Britain’s disappointing economic performance of recent years now requires a success motivated approach to new town development rather than seeing them as levelling up failing local economies.

12.          To what extent can the proposed new towns act as a model for general housing development across the UK?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes. The lack of a new towns programme over the past decades, has meant that the business model of the private volume builder of developing car dominated neighbourhoods on the edge of existing settlements, has been the predominant model with limited innovation, and lack of choice.

3.5              LEGALATIES, ECONOMICS & SKILLS

13. What long-term support will new towns need to ensure that their delivery is efficient and successful?

There will need to be a dedicated cross department civil service group under ministerial guidance monitoring the new towns and intervening with the Development Corporations as needed to keep the vision fresh.

13. Does the construction sector have sufficient capacity and skills to deliver new towns?

At the moment, probably not.

    a. If not, what should be done to ensure that it is, and over what timeframe can capacity be made?

By stabilising housing provision over the medium to long term apprenticeships / secure employment prospects in building skills will enjoy a necessary certainty that is achieved in some of Europe, but which has not been around in Britain for decades.

    b. Is there sufficient capacity in the English workforce?

Probably not. Senior people within AtkinsRéalis, Balfour Beatty, BAM UK, Costain, Jacobs, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Mace, Mott Macdonald, Skanska UK, VINCI, VolkerWessels UK and WSP have flagged warnings. The top 50 housebuilders from Barratt Developments to CG Fry and Son are inherently negative forces. This can be addressed.

Under 30 visas would help to bring construction skills in from Europe.

Prefabrication or part prefabrication always looms over the conversation about housing provision like a merciful angel, often turning out to be a sword of Damocles. In recent years public funding has gone into modular housebuilding firms such as Ilke and Urban Splash House and has had to be written off. One of the authors of this evidence has had his own experiences in this maelstrom of muddle. Winning the Allerton Bywater Millennium Communities competition in the 1990’s, initial enthusiasm shown by the housebuilder partners was firstly watered down and then totally abandoned without enquiry.

Fig. 16

That salutary experience and the impotence of English Partnerships (on behalf of the government) to do anything about it, reinforces a healthy scepticism.

How Development Corporations initiate master plans for new towns and how ‘master developers’ and house builders are integrated into that is pivotal. Strong and well-resourced master planners and designers with ‘Cullen Vision’ are essential.

AUTHORS

Professor Emeritus Doug Clelland – AA Dipl (Arch) Dipl -Ing (Arch)

His master plan projects and buildings in Berlin at the time of the International Architecture Exhibition (1984-1987) are considered important for their advocacy of the compact child-friendly town. He won the UK Government’s competition for a ‘Millennial Community’ for Allerton Bywater, Yorkshire. He master-planned the rebuilding of the Boot Estate, Norris Green, Liverpool. Architecture Research Quarterly published his ‘On the establishment of new communities’ in 2000. He was the concept originator, strategic designer, and director of the centrepiece exhibition to Glasgow’s role as European Capital of Culture (1990) and the 250-page book/catalogue Glasgow’s Glasgow: The Words and the Stones. Apart from editing journals and being author of numerous academic papers, he has published two books of narratives, God’s Brains – The Surging Tide of Humanity (2016) and Joyful Darkness – Entangled in the Invisible (2018) and has completed a novel that considers climate change. He has designed buildings in various countries and has taught widely including time at the AA, PCL, GSA, University of Calgary, and Berlin Beuth University. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Liverpool John Moores University.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Clelland

Dr Nigel Moor – BA (Hons) MCD FRTPI (Rtd)

After obtaining degrees from Aberystwyth and Liverpool Universities, worked in London for the GLC as a member of the Covent Garden Planning Team, and then a number of consultancies. Elected a Fellow of The Royal Town Planning Institute, he set up his own consultancy, NMA plc, working across the United Kingdom and abroad. It won the ‘Tomorrow’s New Communities’ competition promoted by the Town & Country Planning Association in 1991 for a new town in Cambridgeshire. NMA plc was subsequently acquired by a leading FT 250 environmental consultancy. Since retiring, he has obtained a professional doctorate examining planning and politics from UWE Bristol and concentrated on writing and politics. He was planning correspondent for Building magazine for nearly two decades and has contributed articles to a range of professional and industry journals including Planning in London. His political life includes having served as an elected councillor on town, district, and county councils, has been Mayor of an Oxfordshire Market town and a county council cabinet member for climate change and the environment. His most recent book England’s Future: the impact of politics on shaping the environment was published in 2022. https://nmplanning.blog

28/04/2025