Starmer to unveil plan for new towns in England inspired by King Charles

Sir Keir Starmer is to usher in a new generation of new towns around the UK with spades in the ground before the next election in 2029.

The prime minister has revealed that there have been 100 applications from local councils to build new towns in every region in England with settlements starting at 10,000 homes and upwards.

The 100 sites put forward by councils are currently being kept a secret but the final 10 to 12 will be announced in six months’ time.

However, he would not rule out greenfield land being used even though the priority will be brownfield and semi-developed greyfield.

open image in gallery

While Sir Keir is not keen on one of them being called “Starmerville”, he has revealed that his recent visit with King Charles to his Nansledan new town in Cornwall has inspired him to create something which local communities in different parts of England feel proud of.

Referring to his visit with the King on Monday, Sir Keir said: “I was struck by the quality of the build and the variety.

“I was particularly struck by the fact that you couldn’t tell which was social housing.”

While he has moved away from “building beautiful" because “beautiful is impossible to define”, he wants the thousands of new homes to be built to a high standard and to look good.

He said his definition of beautiful is “a well-designed home. Something that is structurally sound, looks good, mixes in with the rest of the street and the home. I'm quite keen on the idea that I mean, firstly, it should be led by the community where it's going to be, so they won't all be the same.”

While businesses and construction firms have raised concerns about a lack of skilled labour to meet his target of 1.5 million new homes in the UK before the next election, Sir Keir insists that the government will not be relying on migrant labour to get the work done.

Instead, he wants building to be carried out by apprentices learning on the job.

“I don't accept that we can never shift the dial on this. If a developer is told, you’ve got a massive contract for 10,000 houses for a new town, but what you’ve got to do is help us make sure we’ve got the training in place for the construction workers that you need.”

Sir Keir noted that when he first announced the new towns plan at Labour’s conference in 2023 he was told councils would not put forward sites, but now he has 100 to choose from.

open image in gallery

Sir Keir said: “For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream. After a decade of decline in housebuilding, the impact is a disconnect between working hard and getting on.

“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about the security and stability that owning your own home brings. I know what this means for working people – the roof above our head was everything for our family growing up.

“We’ve already made progress in just seven months, unblocking 20,000 stuck homes. But there’s more to do.

“We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder. We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting no as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns.

“As part of the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era, our ambitious Plan for Change will transform the lives of working people, once again connecting the basic principle that if you work hard, you should get on.”