I’ve seen firsthand how conversations about large-scale development are often framed by tension. Ambition on one side, delivery on the other. And the most common blockers?
- Infrastructure deficits
- Planning constraints
- Viability pressures
- Political cycles
In my experience, the most successful projects do not treat these as separate challenges. Instead, they recognise them as pieces of the same puzzle. They’re interconnected. That is so important now, as England’s new towns agenda moves ahead.
Earlier this year, the government confirmed a pipeline of locations for the next generation of new towns. This spanned a wide range of project types, from urban extensions to large standalone settlements. Each is unique in its context and opportunity. The one thing they have in common? They are all expected to deliver at scale, with commitments to infrastructure, affordability, and placemaking.
What can we learn from previous new communities?
We have seen this level of ambition for new communities in England before, with some significant success. The post-war new towns programme delivered places like Milton Keynes at pace. Strong development corporations and clear central direction brought it all together. More recently, Barking Riverside offers a live example of large-scale development.
" }Barking Riverside is an example of strong leadership and vision that generated results for new communities in England.
But history also gives us examples of schemes that fell short—where the necessary structures, partnerships, or long-term commitment were lacking. We can’t risk this happening again. So, what can we do?
Through our global work on complex development programmes, we see that success is rarely about finding a perfect model. It is about understanding what makes a place. They need to be:
- Viable
- Distinctive
- Investable
- Liveable
With that in mind, you go about building the framework around that.
We need alignment across delivery sectors
The sequencing of infrastructure, land assembly, planning consent, and funding can do one of two things: It can create momentum or it can bring things to a stop.
Recently, I chaired a discussion at UKREiiF. Among the panellists were industry leaders from Barking Riverside in east London and Brabazon in Bristol. There was a consistent theme that emerged from our discussion.
While there were very different contexts, the message was clear: We must align public purpose and commercial reality. That’s what gives confidence to investors, policymakers, planners, and politicians.
You can see this clearly at Barking Riverside—one of the most exciting new communities in England. For more than 20 years, our teams have supported the evolution of one of Europe’s largest brownfield regeneration projects. We helped guide its implementation, secure consents, and apply our knowledge—in planning, masterplanning, landscape, urban design, and architecture—as it has grown. An interdisciplinary approach has been key.
Crucially, real progress has been underpinned by long-term partnership and infrastructure-led delivery, with strong leadership from the public sector. Collaboration between the Greater London Authority, L&Q, and other delivery partners—alongside the extension of the London Overground and a coordinated planning framework—have helped unlock development and sustain confidence. This was critical as the scheme adapted to changing market conditions.
At Brabazon, our teams—from electrical and mechanical engineering to building services, transport, and fire engineering—have supported the regeneration of the former Filton Airfield. Our involvement has extended across a number of key elements of the scheme, including residential phases, the repurposing of the historic hangar, and mixed-use development within Brabazon One.
We’re proud that our early technical input and ongoing involvement have helped set the benchmark for future phases of a long-term mixed-use neighbourhood. What we’re seeing are new homes, employment space, sustainable-transport infrastructure, and the new Bristol Arena, all forming part of the wider vision.
What also sets Brabazon apart is the role of long-term stewardship and patient capital. YTL’s role as landowner and lead developer means it has been able to invest in infrastructure, culture, and place aligned to the pace of delivery.
" }Roger Evans chairs a discussion at UKREiiF on the role of public private partnerships and their influence on the new towns agenda.
Getting the essentials right early is a must for new communities in England
We often describe infrastructure as something that ‘unlocks’. And that is true to a point. Each of the new communities in England will face its own mix of challenges. Transport, digital networks, water capacity, energy provision, green infrastructure, and climate resilience are all central to whether growth is viable and sustainable.
We need to get the essentials in place. But infrastructure in isolation does not create place. The real challenge is making sure it works as part of a wider, coordinated vision.
The panel I chaired offered some additional insights from the perspective of West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The focus was on the role of the public sector as a convening power. The combined authority has aligned priorities across multiple councils. With that, it has brought together transport investment, housing delivery, and economic strategy into a clear direction.
As we look to the years ahead, the expansion of development corporations and the increased maturity of combined authorities offer a great opportunity. We see ways to bring strategic planning and delivery under one roof. It’s difficult to overstate the value of that.
When infrastructure is planned without wider alignment, it often underperforms. It’s disconnected from the places it’s meant to serve. When it is properly planned and integrated, the multiplier effect can be immense.
This is not about relying solely on traditional cost-benefit analysis. Quite the opposite. Taking a broader, strategic view of infrastructure ROI allows us to move beyond a narrow focus on project-level returns. Instead, we can consider the wider public good at a regional level.
How do we create places where people choose to live?
The objective should be to create a platform for the delivery of new communities in England that builds confidence and crowds in more investment. A rail connection can transform accessibility and market confidence. However, if there aren’t community facilities, public realm, and a coherent vision for how people will live, it won’t deliver its full social or economic value.
There is often an assumption that delivering homes and infrastructure alone will create successful places. In reality, people are drawn to places that already show signs of life. We need the conditions for culture, community, and identity to emerge early, not wait for them to arrive once the final phase is complete. Some new towns will benefit from an existing offer of nearby places; others will need extra support.
If we want successful new communities in England, we must understand what’s important. Public realm, meaningful uses, events, cultural programming, and early community infrastructure are fundamental. They are not optional extras.
" }Thinking beyond initial delivery
There is another lesson from places that have already been through the full life cycle. New towns do not stand still once they are built. They evolve, adapt, and face new pressures over time.
My colleague and our regional business lead, Nancy MacDonald, said this in New Civil Engineer: “Just as we focus on building good habits into our everyday lives to prevent the signs of growing old, we’ll need to future-proof new towns too”.
So, if we want the next generation of communities to thrive, we have to think beyond initial delivery.
Our research with YouGov shows that public perceptions of new towns remain mixed. Too often, people fear anonymous housing expansion rather than imagine a thriving, connected, and characterful place. If we want people to believe in new communities in England, we have to create places with soul as well as scale.
Learning from the lessons of the past, we need to consider stewardship—how assets and public spaces will be maintained, how high streets will evolve, and how buildings can adapt and be well used. The real test is not whether a place is well planned, but whether it can mature and be resilient for decades to come.
" }Our research with YouGov shows that public perceptions of new towns remain mixed. This needs to change for successful adoption of these communities.Pictured is the redevelopment project at Brabazon in Bristol.
Why failure is not an option
I know the industry has a major opportunity ahead. The policy environment is evolving, the need for homes and growth is ever more urgent, and there is growing recognition that the best new communities in England must be planned as integrated places. Otherwise, we’ll be left with undesirable, disconnected, and generic areas that further distrust in the sector.
Our teams have worked on some of the UK’s most significant development and regeneration programmes. And this includes major new communities across England.
That experience makes me optimistic about what is possible. With the right vision, partnership, stewardship, and long-term commitment, today’s ambitions can become successful new communities for the years ahead. Built at scale—but lived in, cared for, and full of life.
" }