The case for new-build communities

New-build communities may be the answer to the UK's housing shortage and may also be good news for the environment because they "provide opportunities for greener and well-planned developments", according to experts.

Kate Henderson, from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), says that towns and villages built completely from scratch may be a beneficial planning solution to the problem of housing.

In urban areas this may mean concentrating on regeneration and in other places, on linked new settlements.

"The TCPA's case is that such settlements can provide opportunities for greener and well planned developments but that they must be properly networked into the urban core with public transport and communications links to ensure they perform as part of an integrated cluster," said Ms Henderson.

She said new towns must allow for social development and contain a mix of family homes and flats while maintaining environment credentials such as zero-carbon technologies.


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