Weekly planning news

Key figureheads say current new towns plans 'lack ambition'

Prominent planning figures involved in the development of post-war new towns including Milton Keynes, have reportedly warned that the government’s current new towns proposals lack ambition.

Following the New Towns Taskforce’s publication of recommended locations in September, several former senior figures told The Guardian¹ that they were concerned about the scale, vision and social impact of the current programme.

According to the report, Lee Shostak, former director of planning at the Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) and later chair of the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), said the programme shows insufficient commitment to social housing and may fail to support those in greatest housing need. He suggested that while plans refer to up to 40% affordable housing, much of this will not be social housing and there is currently no indication that homes will be available to people relocating from major cities – a key principle of the original post-war new towns programme.

Shostak also argued that several of the proposed locations are not genuinely new settlements but expansions of existing towns, which he said could make it harder to generate the “excitement and vision” needed for success.

John Walker, former planning director of MKDC and later chief executive of the Commission for the New Towns, also expressed concern, saying he was “ambivalent” about whether the plans will deliver the outcomes people expect, adding that the programme “is not ambitious enough.”

Meanwhile, Katy Lock, director of communities at the TCPA, said there had been “no strategic approach” to site selection and that public engagement had been insufficient. Given existing mistrust in the planning system, she argued the programme represents a missed opportunity to be more transparent and involve communities earlier.
In a response, the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government told the Guardian² “Our New Towns programmes will restore the dream of homeownership for families across the country, helping fix the housing crisis we inherited. We continue to work closely with local leaders to ensure these towns will be in the right places and have the necessary infrastructure.”

Want to learn more about the latest trends in housing development? We track housing unit applications publicly, every quarter, in our Planning Application Index³ series.

Previously-refused 120-home green belt scheme allowed under 'golden rules'

A 120-home development on green belt land near Beaconsfield has been approved on appeal after the High Court quashed an earlier refusal on legal grounds, according to Planning.⁴

The scheme, proposed for Holtspur on the edge of Beaconsfield, includes 120 homes, half of which would be affordable. Buckinghamshire Council originally refused permission in March 2024, and the first appeal was dismissed in February 2025.

That inspector had ruled the site was not ‘grey belt’ under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), saying it made a strong contribution to preventing urban sprawl and the merging of settlements. On that basis, he found the proposals to be inappropriate development in the green belt, only permissible in “very special circumstances”.

However, in May 2025 the High Court quashed that decision by consent. It was agreed the inspector had erred in law by failing to take into account the government’s new ‘golden rules’ for major green belt housing schemes, set out in NPPF paragraphs 156–157. These rules give significant weight to proposals that deliver large amounts of affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades and publicly accessible green space.

The case returned to the Planning Inspectorate for redetermination. In the fresh decision, the inspector noted that Buckinghamshire Council no longer defended its earlier reasons for refusal and now accepted the site should be treated as ‘grey belt’, given its limited role in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.

The inspector also pointed to the council’s acute housing land supply shortfall - just 0.9 years - as clear evidence of local housing need. He concluded that the scheme met the golden rules, highlighting 50 per cent affordable housing, new public open space and improvements to public transport. As a result, he found the proposal did not amount to inappropriate development despite its green belt location, and that green belt policy did not justify refusal.

Although he acknowledged moderate harm to local character and appearance, he decided this would not “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh the social, economic and environmental benefits, including the delivery of “much-needed” homes. The appeal was therefore allowed.

You can read more on Planning.⁵

Home energy storage batteries to be removed from Future Homes Standard, according to reports

The government is reportedly preparing to amend elements of the Future Homes Standard (FHS) - a package of building rules due in early 2026 that aims to ensure new homes in England are highly energy-efficient and “net-zero ready.”

According to the Guardian⁶, ministers are expected to drop proposals requiring new homes to include battery energy storage systems - technology that allows households to store electricity for later use. While this requirement is set to be removed, the Standard is still expected to mandate other robust measures, including high insulation levels, heat pumps in most new homes, and solar panels on the majority of new builds.

The change has been welcomed by some housebuilding groups, who argue that compulsory battery installation would add cost and construction complexity. However, environmental experts and campaigners have criticised the move as a step back from clean-energy ambitions, warning that without battery storage many households could miss out on bill savings and the ability to make better use of renewable electricity.

The Guardian’s full report is available on their website.⁷

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/25/uk-new-towns-plan-may-not-help-the-people-who-need-housing-most-say-critics
2. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/25/uk-new-towns-plan-may-not-help-the-people-who-need-housing-most-say-critics
3. https://www.terraquest.co.uk/news-and-insights/q3-planning-application-index-2025
4. https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1944417/inspector-allows-120-green-belt-homes-high-court-quashed-initial-appeal-refusal
5. https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1944417/inspector-allows-120-green-belt-homes-high-court-quashed-initial-appeal-refusal
6. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/02/ministers-may-cut-green-tech-mandate-from-new-homes-regulations-in-england
7. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/02/ministers-may-cut-green-tech-mandate-from-new-homes-regulations-in-england