If you’ve seen headlines about “twelve new towns”, you might be wondering what exactly the New Towns Act is… and more importantly, whether it has anything to do with your house purchase.
The short answer? Yes… but not in the way people often think.
The New Towns Acts (starting in 1946 and now governed mainly by the New Towns Act 1981) give government the power to designate large areas of land for master‑planned new communities. Think Milton Keynes, Stevenage, or Harlow – places planned from scratch, complete with homes, parks, schools, and jobs.
And with the UK’s current push for new towns – including a New Towns Taskforce and an agenda to begin three sites before 2029 – the legislation is back in the spotlight.
But to understand why the Acts exist at all, we need to take a little time-travel detour back to the late 1800s…
Where It All Began: The Garden City Movement
Long before the government had statutory powers to build new towns, one man planted the conceptual seed: Ebenezer Howard, the father of the Garden City Movement.
In 1898, Howard looked at the choking smog of industrial London and thought: “There must be a better way to live.” His solution was so simple it was radical: combine the best of town life with the best of country life – and avoid the worst of both.
This became the famous ‘Three Magnets‘ diagram:
- Town = jobs, community, entertainment… plus pollution and overcrowding
- Country = beauty, nature, clean air… plus fewer opportunities
- Town‑Country = the perfect hybrid
Howard’s Garden City concept imagined self‑contained towns of around 30,000 people, surrounded by permanent green belts, with homes, industry, farmland, and civic spaces arranged in a walkable, balanced, thoughtful way.
Two real Garden Cities emerged from his vision – Letchworth (1903) and Welwyn (1920) – both near London, both proof that planned communities could be greener, healthier and genuinely pleasant to live in.
Howard wasn’t just designing cities. He was proposing social reform: places where people could thrive physically, socially, culturally, and economically.
And when post‑war Britain needed to rebuild fast, government planners didn’t need to look far for inspiration. They took Howard’s blueprint – and scaled it massively.
Enter the New Towns Act
The New Towns Act 1946 was the government’s way of turning the Garden City dream into national policy. Instead of relying on philanthropic experiments, the Act gave the state real powers to:
1. Designate a “new town”
If the Secretary of State decides an area should be developed as a new town (after consultation), an official designation order is made.
2. Create a Development Corporation
These were specialist, powerful bodies with the ability to:
- buy land (including compulsory purchase)
- build roads, homes, parks and utilities
- plan whole communities
- act quickly and at scale
3. Register a local land charge
Here’s where this matters to conveyancers: A new town designation creates a Part 7 Local Land Charge. As summarised in the Local Land Charges guide: “New Towns charges relate specifically to the designation of new towns under the New Towns Act 1981… Charges contain financial and infrastructure obligations.”
(New Towns charges are rare today – but absolutely still exist.)
Why are we talking about New Towns again?
Because the housing shortage isn’t exactly shrinking. Recent reports show:
- Government plans to start work on three new towns within this Parliament
- A New Towns Taskforce recommending 12 initial locations
- A growing push for “infrastructure‑first” large‑scale development
This echoes the post‑war urgency that created the first wave of new towns – but with modern challenges like green belt constraints, infrastructure capacity, environmental concerns, and skills shortages layered on top.
The sites for the twelve new towns suggested include: Adlington in Cheshire, South Gloucestershire, Crews Hill in Enfield, North London, Heyford Park in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, Leeds South Bank, Victoria North in Manchester, Marlcombe, East Devon, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Thamesmead in south-east London, and Worcestershire Parkway.
What does this mean for homebuyers and conveyancers?
1. A New Towns Act charge might appear in searches
Most people will never see one – but if a property lies within a designated area, the Local Search may reveal:
- a Part 7 New Towns charge
- historic development corporation entries
- compulsory purchase‑related notations
If you see one, it’s worth pausing for a closer look.
2. It may signal future large‑scale growth
A New Town designation means:
- new housing
- new transport links
- new community infrastructure
- long‑term development (often decades)
This can be hugely positive – or occasionally disruptive.
3. Buyers often need reassurance
A New Towns charge doesn’t mean your home is about to be bulldozed. It means the area was (or is) part of a planned development programme. With new towns re‑entering national policy, these designations may become more visible in the coming years.
The Garden City Legacy, Modernised
Today’s new towns (if delivered well) aim to combine:
- sustainable transport
- biodiversity and green space
- mixed-use neighbourhoods
- high‑quality design standards
- community governance
- long‑term stewardship
Or, to put it another way: Howard’s Garden City principles… but with full fibre broadband, heat pumps, and a nearby rail station.
It’s a reminder that while the challenges facing Britain have changed, the core idea that inspired the New Towns Acts – building thoughtfully planned places for people to thrive – is still very relevant.
