Over the past ten years, the TCPA has been exploring the unique story of the New Towns; celebrating their opportunities and reflecting on their challenges in order to learn for their future growth and renewal, and to inform the creation of new places.
The New Towns programme, with its three phases between 1946 and 1970, was the most ambitious town building programme ever undertaken in the United Kingdom. Alongside legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the New Towns Act 1946 led to the delivery of 32 New Towns across the UK. These towns are now home to around 2.8 million people.
Alongside researching the history and current state of the New Towns, the TCPA is campaigning for a Modernised New Towns Act, runs a local authority New Towns Network and provides secretariat for an All-Party Parliamentary Group on New Towns.
Become a member
Join our community of members to access our archive of recordings from past climate related webinars and workshops and receive discounts on future events.
Explore the UK’s New Towns
Find out more about the 32 existing New Towns across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Research on New Towns
Our research explores what experience of delivering new communities from across the UK and beyond can teach us about New Towns today
New Towns APPG
The TCPA is the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on New Towns, which has been set up to celebrate the contribution made by the UK’s and to highlight the challenges they face.
New Towns Network
The TCPA New Towns Network brought together local authorities where the UK’s 32 New Towns are located to share experience through peer to peer learning and other activities
Resources

TCPA Online Study Tour: Milton Keynes – ‘Building Britain’s Newest City’
This masterclass is a conversation with David Lock, Lee Shostak and John Walker, who all played an integral role in shaping the design and driving the delivery of Britainโs newest and largest new city, Milton Keynes. It is a unique opportunity to hear the reflections of the people who were there at the time, and learn from the wealth of experience they gained from it.

TCPA Online Study Tour: Harlow โ Pram Town to Garden Town?
This event offers an invaluable learning opportunity for all those working on large scale new developments, or indeed anyone who would like to learn about the planning and delivery of successful new communities.ย

News & Blog

Location, location, location: lessons from the past
Since the New Towns Taskforce was announced back in the summer, there has of course been a huge amount of…

New Towns Taskforce: a unique opportunity to deliver healthy communities
The governmentโs recently announced New Towns Taskforce has a unique opportunity not only to explore lasting solutions to the housing…

TCPA response to the Governmentโs announcement about the expert taskforce on a new generation of New Towns
In response to the Governmentโs announcement today [Wednesday 31 July] about the expert taskforce on a new generation of New…