Team of experts to create next ‘generation’ of new towns

Eight  planning and development experts have been appointed to join the New Towns Taskforce at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. They will work alongside the Taskforce Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker. 

The taskforce has been set up by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who described their first meeting in Milton Keynes on 18 September as “a momentous step in our journey to deliver the next generation of new towns”.

Rayner said: “We want to see new communities with real character – providing genuinely affordable, safe and secure homes, much-needed infrastructure and well-paying jobs. 

“With a strong team of experts standing by his side, I have every confidence in Sir Michael’s leadership and his Taskforce is working at pace to make sure our long-term ambition becomes a reality.”

The primary objective of the new towns programme is to create new and expanded places that boost economic growth and the supply of new homes – spreading opportunity and supporting strong communities.

The group - which includes key players across planning, infrastructure delivery, architecture and urban regeneration - will push recommend locations for new towns.

The eight members of the taskforce are:

• Bill Hughes, Global Head of Real Assets and Co-Head of Private Markets at Legal & General
• Dame Diane Coyle, an economist and Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge.
• Eamonn Boylan, interim CEO of Manchester City Council and Chair of Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation
• Helen Gordon, CEO of Grainger, the UK’s largest publicly listed residential landlord and Build to Rent developer.
• Kate Henderson, hief Executive of the National Housing Federation
• Nick Raynsford, current President of the Town and Country Planning
• Association and author of the 2018 Raynsford Review of Planning.
• Sowmya Parthasarathy, an architect and urban designer at ARUP, with over 30 years of global experience..
• Dr Wei Yang, a town planner and urban designer. She is CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning and Chairman of Wei Yang & Partners.