One of the plans Labour has to help improve housing supply now that they are in power is to create New Towns. We want to have a closer look at this today. Then, if you need some help from leading architects in London, you can speak to us.
Background
The idea to create new towns actually dates all the way back to 1944. The Abercrombie Great London Plan was the original incarnation, following proposals from 1943. It proposed the creation of eight new towns within 50 miles of the capital. The idea was to aid recovery from WWII and also help to resolve failings because of rapid development during the industrial revolution.
The idea had a lot of support, leading to the creation of the New Towns Commission in 1945. The New Towns Act then became law in 1946, following conclusions from the commission. Stevenage was the first town to be designated the same year, followed by Crawley, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead, and Newton Aycliffe in 1947. Scotland’s first New Town was East Kilbride in 1947. Wales got Cwmbran in 1949.
Since then we’ve had changes and other Acts (mainly to increase funding). The 1965 New Towns Act was a substantial rewrite, and gave authority to continue to create more towns. There has also been two more generations of New Towns. In total, there are 32 across the UK. They are home to over 2.5 million residents today.
The response
Like with all things, there are people for and against the creation of new towns. Whether you ask architects in London, locals who live in one of the towns, neighbours, or political opponents, you will get some different responses.
One of the most important positives is these towns can have a wonderful layout. The whole idea here is careful planning. Designers look at all of the details to ensure they create a fantastic place to live.
Architect George Clarke grew up in Washington. It became a new town in 1964. One of Clarke’s memories of growing up is being able to safely walk to school in 15 minutes without crossing a single road. There were open green spaces for playing, plenty of amenities (including a thriving shopping centre), and quality modern homes. George went so far to praise the people who created “an architectural marvel”.
Critics have a number of concerns about new towns. Often they say they have a lack of place, culture, and identity. It can lead to dissatisfaction among residents. There can also be concerns about the actual quality of the homes and infrastructure.
Harlow is one of the New Towns that get a lot of criticism. The main designer, Sir Frederick Gibberd, was even disappointed by how it turned out. The problem here wasn’t the lack of planning though; he was always happy with the design side. The issue was the execution. Many things were done on a smaller budget so they did not work as well as they could have.
Whether for or against, it will be interesting to see what Labour does with New Towns. Good planning and design, and sufficient funding could lead to great new places to live. However, bad designs or cost cutting could bring poor results.
Do you want help from architects in London?
Coffey Architects understands how much work it takes to create wonderful places to live. Great designs can be fantastic though, delivering places that people love. They can ensure the homes are high quality and sustainable too.
If you have a project in mind and want to work with some of the finest architects in London, speak to us. We’d love to see what you are planning and can then give you the best support to make it a reality.