‘Elizabethtown’ and ‘Attleetown’ are among seven new towns being built under Labour plans – is one popping up near YOU?
Named after Queen II. A town named after Queen Elizabeth II and post-war Prime Minister Clement Attlee is among seven new towns being built in Britain under Labor plans.
The names ‘Elizabethtown’ and ‘Attleetown’ have been given by the government and it is planned to build between 15,000 and 40,000 new homes in each area.
It comes amid Labor plans to deliver 1.5 million new properties by the end of this parliament, stretching from south Gloucestershire in the west to Thamesmead and Enfield in London and north to Manchester and Leeds.
One of the seven news towns will be named after England’s first King Athelstan, while other titles will be inspired by suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst as well as Jamaican-British nurse Mary Seacole.
According to the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government, each neighborhood will have vibrant high streets, green spaces, schools, access to healthcare and public transport links.
Seven new locations were narrowed down from the 12 originally recommended by the government task force.
The five cities that did not make the cut were deemed suitable for development but were not considered fully new cities.
40 percent of each location will consist of ‘affordable’ housing, of which at least half will be allocated for social rent.
Housing Minister Steve Reed says neighborhoods will have vibrant high streets and green spaces
The seven locations are Tempsford, Bedfordshire; Leeds’ South Bank; Crews Hill and Chase Park in north London; Manchester’s Victoria North; Thamesmead, south-east London; Brabazon, south Gloucestershire and Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
Housing Minister Steve Reed said: ‘People want real change; affordable homes, functioning infrastructure, and good jobs in thriving societies.
‘Our next generation of new cities marks a turning point in how we build the future.
‘We are planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links and green spaces designed together; so we can offer families the security and opportunities they deserve.’
The government also considered other areas: Adlington, Cheshire; Heyford Park, Oxfordshire; Marlcombe, Devon; Plymouth; South Barking, east London and Wychavon Town, Worcestershire – but they will not be carried forward.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he was delighted with the announcement, describing it as ‘one of the most ambitious regeneration projects at the heart of the UK’s fastest growing city region’.
‘We believe this is a model of what a new city should be like, where modern homes are connected to high-quality public transport. “Just this week we agreed to invest £60 million from our ground-breaking Good Growth Fund on a new tram link to Victoria North,” he said.
On Sunday the Government also confirmed that the National Housing Bank will open on 1 April.
The agency will aim to deliver more than 500,000 new homes, backed by financial capacity of up to £16bn.
