Good news. Planning minister Pennycook has (17 July) told the House of Lords built environment committee’s new towns inquiry the government will take forward sites for new towns put forward by the.New Towns Taskforce even if there is local opposition if the site proposal is in the national interest. It is clear the government is fully aware of the threat of local opposition to local change and seems intent on standing firm. This is extremely important and very good news, if it is what happens. But can the government resist the combined forces of nationwide local push-back, fuelled by national media and local media having a field day with local lunatic outcomes plastered everywhere for weeks nationally and locally. The media will love it.
Some likely examples make the threat of successful local push-back back clear. One, you cannot build here, it is all green belt; two, you cannot build here, there is an MoD nuclear no-build policy in place; three, you cannot build here, these two towns will merge into one unplanned city; four, you cannot build here, there is no transport infrastructure planned; five, you cannot build here as the development values are very high; six, you cannot build here, we’ll lose 1/2/3 MP’s seats and so on and so on.
What would make a difference is if the Conservatives and other parties signed up to a joint declaration that they too support long term spatial solutions, and agree if the selected locations are shown to be in the national interest they too will support the Task Force recommendations. Is there the political will to make this step? Without it I do not see how the government can resist these myopic, zero-integrity led reactions. The political force behind them is and will remain overwhelming. I do hope I am wrong. But Starmer gave way to his own backbenchers on welfare reform. This time the question is can he keep his MP’s in fragile seats on board and at the same time remove the 2029 threat from opportunist opposition parties willing to use every weapon to stop Labour having a second term? Very sad to say, but I fear Mr Pennycook has got it wrong.
Ian Campbell
23 July 2025
