Families lured into Labour‘s flagship New Towns could find themselves living under a relentless barrage of aircraft noise – and face tens of thousands wiped off the value of their homes.
A bombshell study assessing the government’s 12 proposed locations for tens of thousands of new homes found 11 are sitting beneath intense flight paths, with noise levels comparable to leaf blowers, diesel lorries and vacuum cleaners.
Two of the sites – in West Yorkshire and in south-east London – will rank among the most flight-blighted places to live in the country.
The analysis by MyFlightPath, which tracks aircraft activity to inform prospective house-buyers and the property industry, lays bare a ‘systemic failure’ in Labour’s showpiece election pledge, exposing would-be residents to noise levels proven to disrupt sleep and increase cardiovascular stress.
Co-founder Jono Oates said: ‘My Flight Path has analysed all 12 locations approved by the Government’s New Towns Taskforce in September 2025 and found that 11 of the 12 sites face significant aircraft noise exposure.
‘This would subject 250,000 planned homes to noise levels that exceed World Heath Organisation health guidelines and will cost residents an estimated £10-12 billion in property value losses.
‘We’re talking about building a quarter of a million homes where residents have a high chance of experiencing sleep disruption, increased health risks, and property value loss – all because flight paths weren’t properly considered.’
Using millions of aviation data points to produce a ‘flight blight rating’ running from zero to 100 – with lower scores meaning worse exposure – the most shocking result is in Leeds, where the proposed 15,000-home South Bank bank development scored just six.
GREENWICH: Families lured into Labour’s flagship New Towns could find themselves living under a relentless barrage of aircraft noise – like the long suffering residents of Thamesmead
New research from the Mail and My Flight Path has revealed 11 of the sites for Sir Keir Starmer 12 new towns are sitting beneath intense flight paths
Poundbury, a Dorset town long-considered King Charles’ vanity project, was touted as the Labour government’s blueprint for a new Britain last year – it is not under a flight path
The score places the project in the ‘worst six per cent’ of properties nationally for aircraft impact – with decibel levels of flights arriving and departing Leeds Bradford Airport equivalent to a leaf blower.
The same analysis places Thamesmead in Greenwich, near to London City airport, in the ‘critical’ category too, with a rating of 13 and estimated noise of about 82 decibels – likened in the report to the sound of a diesel lorry.
Last year, when the government announced there bold new plans for the town Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suggested he would take inspiration from the King’s developments, such as Poundbury and Nansledan, a 540-acre extension to the seaside town of Newquay.
However, unlike 11 of the government’s chosen destinations, neither of the King’s settlements are under a flight path.
Of the Leeds score, Mr Oates said: ‘It’s quite hard to find places around the UK that have worse flight ratings.
‘You can probably take a guess where they might be – Hounslow, near Heathrow; around Gatwick, or a small village in Essex at the end of the Stansted runway.
‘Even with the rest of the ambient noise from being in the centre of Leeds, this is going to be a pretty severe impact on residents who choose to move into that location.
‘Even compares to other postcodes in Leeds city centre, the South Bank is pretty much the worst.’
What makes Leeds South Bank particularly startling is that it is not on the fence line of an airport at all.
The site sits in the city centre, around 10 miles from Leeds Bradford Airport, yet aircraft funnel directly over the area. Work has already begun on building hundreds of flats.
The consequences, Mr Oates warned, could see between £75,250 and £90,300 knocked off the value of a £350,000 property.
And experts agree. Andrew Higham a Purplebricks local property partner told the Mail that hits to values of properties built near airports are inevitable.
LEEDS: Labour’s dream for a new town on Leeds Southbank will also see residents blighted by the noise of aircraft
LEEDS: There are plans for 15,000-homes in the area where noise pollution could cut between £75,250 and £90,300 off the value of a £350,000 property
He explained: ‘Most buyers accept the noise and bustle of roads, railways and flight paths – because they want the convenience and value of great transport links. But more homes will become affected by flight paths as airports expand, and owners may see a hit to the price of those properties.’
The noise is also likely to be most punishing when people most need peace.
Mr Oates continued: ‘The worst impact is always going to be at night time.
‘Ambient noise dies down, and numerous research studies indicate aircraft noise is disproportionately worse than other transport noise primarily because it can keep people awake.
‘People can install triple-glazing which is fine if you’re just going to sit in your house. But if they want to use their garden or balcony, they can’t do anything about that.’
Thamesmead, on the other side of the River Thames, from City airport is earmarked for 15,000 homes.
Directly in line with City’s runway, homeowners risk losing between £70,000 and £84,000 on a £350,000 property.
When the Mail visited the windswept area this week, the sounds of jets overhead was deafening with residents already living under the flightpath informing us that during busy periods the noise pollution is more like ‘a fleet of diesel lorries. ‘
19-year-old Christian Popesco told the Mail he and his mother had lived in the area for 13 years.
‘When we first moved here a decade ago we weren’t told about the flight path’, reveals Christian, ‘as you can hear when one comes over, it very much sounds like a jet engine.
‘We have got used to it as there really isn’t anything you can do. Realistically if they are planning to build a new town here people should be informed.’
GREENWICH: Thamesmead, on the other side of the River Thames, from City airport is also earmarked for 15,000 homes
GREENWICH: 19-year-old Christian Popesco told the Mail he and his mother had lived in the area for 13 years and that the sound of aircraft was routine
Others, like one woman named Ayo, were more concerned by the plans.
‘They are putting a new town where? Why didn’t they tell anyone already living here? Of course, we hear the planes all of the time – it is under the airport path.
‘Sometimes your house shakes but you do get used to it. If people are buying in this new town they should be told if their house price will suffer, because that is not fair.
‘They are the government, they will do it anyway.’
Other affected New Town locations include Marlcombe in East Devon, Adlington in Cheshire East, Crews Hill in Enfield and Holborough in Kent, all ranked as ‘severe’.
Langdon Hills in Basildon, Heyford Park in Cherwell, Tempsford in Bedfordshire, a housing proposal in South Gloucestershire, and Milton Keynes are rated ‘serious’.
Labour’s planned development in Plymouth is the only location to score a clean 100, meaning no meaningful aircraft noise impact.
Mr Oates said: ‘This isn’t about stopping development – it’s about being honest with New Town residents about what they’ll face.
‘Anyone buying a home at Leeds South Bank deserves to know they’re looking at the daily noise equivalent of a leaf blower.’
The new town of Marlcombe in Devon will sit just a few hundred metres from the end of Exeter Airport’s runway.
Work hasn’t yet begun on the 500-hectare site – which currently comprises farmland and ancient woodland – but it’s anticipated it will eventually have 8,000 homes and will be finished by 2050.
Experts estimate the noise impact could be 79 decibels, equivalent to a vacuum cleaner running.
At the moment, Exeter Airport runs only a small handful of flights every day but some residents said they believed major expansion plans could make things far worse.
The airport was bought last year by investment firm ICG as part of a £200m deal that included two other regional airports the new owners have ambitious plans to expand passenger and cargo operations.
In nearby Cranbrook, another new town built barely more than a mile away from the airport, residents said they noticed occasional aircraft noise but were rarely disturbed by it.
IT consultant Anthony Challice, 43, said: ‘It doesn’t really affect things for me, it is a bit of a novelty for the kids as the Red Arrows occasionally land there before doing air shows and everybody just stops to watch them.
DEVON: The new town of Marlcombe will sit just a few hundred metres from the end of Exeter Airport’s runway
DEVON: Estate agents in the area say the low price of property makes it attractive despite the noisy runway
‘Obviously we do hear some noise from the airport but it’s not too bad because the airport isn’t very busy and the planes landing aren’t massive – if we were living near a busy airport we might feel differently.
‘House prices were noticeably cheaper than the surrounding towns early on but recently it feels like it’s caught up a bit.
‘It’s not just because it’s cheap, I love living out here and would even pay a premium over houses in Exeter.’
Cafe owner Debbie Jones said: ‘We do have a lot of plane noise here but it doesn’t keep me awake or anything.
‘The potential that the airport will get busier is a bit of a worry though.
‘Cranbrook is certainly cheaper than Exeter but I do think sometimes services get missed out here, for example a couple of weeks ago when everything froze and the roads were like an ice rink but we had no gritters up here, I don’t know if that is miscommunication or what?
‘They need to make sure they are putting the foundations in place for a proper community, not just more and more houses.’
Many in Cranbrook said they were drawn to the area by cheaper house prices – one bedroom flats start from around £150 while a two-bed house can be picked up for £215,000.
Estate agent Finlay Blazer has worked in Cranbrook for two-and-a-half years and said: ‘There’s good value for people out here, homes here are around £15,000 cheaper than the same property in nearby Exeter.
‘It’s very family orientated with two schools in Cranbrook but because house prices are also a little bit lower it’s also a good place for first time buyers.
‘Buyers don’t generally seem to be concerned about airport noise. If the new town is going to be like Cranbrook it will be a success.’
But long suffering residents in Adlington, Cheshire are viewing things with glasses decidedly less rose-tinted.
Indeed, when the Mail visited the countryside idyll this week, many desperate locals claimed they were now ‘unable to sell their homes’ with the future of the village is in the balance.
Residents are now at war with the plans to build up to 20,000 new homes on rolling greenbelt farmland where the sound of aircraft rolling overhead will sound like a washing machine.
CHESHIRE: In leafy Adlington, where 20,000 new homes are planned, noise pollution could contribute to as much as £75,000 being knocked off the value of the average property
CHESHIRE: In response to the threat, locals have formed the campaign group Stop Adlington New Town
This noise pollution could contribute to as much as £75,000 being knocked off the value of the average property in the new settlement.
Cheshire mum Aysha Hawcutt said:’We can’t sell up while all this is going on. How do you price point a home when this is in the balance.
‘Friends and neighbours have been forced to take their homes off the market due to lack of interest. How can you sell your house if there is a 30 year building project on your doorstep.’
Aysha, who is a member of protest group Stop Adlington New Town , said it would be ‘heartbreaking’ to see tracts of rich Cheshire farmland churned up to make way for thousands of new homes.
She said:’The countryside is a resource for everyone to enjoy. There is a network of public paths that cross the fields so they are accessible to the public.’
The mum-of-two, whose home is surrounded by farmland, said that she loved being so close to nature.
She said;’In the summer I love to have the windows open to I can hear the owls hooting.’
Aysha also made the point that at a time when the west faced a growing threat of military confrontation, food security was more important than ever.
She said;’The rolling fields are not just pretty to look at. The grass feeds the cattle and sheep which puts food on tables. It’s that simple.
‘We also have ancient woodlands, ponds, streams and miles of hedgerows which are endless wildlife corridors.’
She said she was dismayed to hear the Prime Minister at a recent PMQ’s stating that ‘we will not be ploughing over farmland. I thought hang on a minute. Do you know about Adlington.’
Aysha said she hated being labelled as a Nimby. She said;’It would be weird if I was campaigning about something hundreds of miles away from home. Of course I care what is happening in my backyard.’
A local businessman who asked not be named said;’I am 70 now so a bit passed caring. But if you ask me the government’s plans are absolutely bloody stupid. By the way there is one train per hour from the station.’
John Isherwood, who lives nearby, said;’Can you imagine the congestion with 20,000 new homes in the area. It will be pure hell.’
Brian Whitefoot, 72, is seen by many as the brains behind the campaign to scupper the government’s plans.
Brian, who lives in the village, said he was concerned the plans would transform Adlington into a Macclesfield sized town.
CHESHIRE: Mother-of-two Aysha Hawcutt said it would be ‘heartbreaking’ to see tracts of rich farmland churned up to make way for thousands of new homes
CHESHIRE: Locals have claimed that the cumulative effect of more development could make their homes ‘unsellable’
He said: ‘I think the ONS data puts occupancy at about 2.3 per home on average. So 20,000 new homes would put us on a scale with Macclesfield. It’s that simple.’
He added:’ The taskforce said that the new town in Adlington will address a housing shortage and support business and industry along the Cheshire science corridor.
‘But we are at the furthest eastern point on the corridor. So by building here the taskforce is maximising travel distances and pollution.’
Brian said that if the plans were ultimately approved there would be implications for sewage in the area.
He said:’We will need a massive sewage plant but its not clear where that will be at this stage. Its greenbelt land in east Cheshire. A new town here will just contribute to the urban sprawl connecting us to Greater Manchester.’
MyFlightPath estimates that, across the New Town programme, total property value at risk could reach £10 billion to £12 billion, driven by enormous planned build numbers and high expected new-build prices.
Leeds South Bank alone is forecast to put £1.13 billion to £1.36 billion of household wealth at risk, while Thamesmead could account for £1.26 billion to £1.51 billion.
Crews Hill in Enfield for up to £1.85 billion. Tempsford, with 40,000 homes planned, is projected to be the single biggest exposure with losses estimated at between £2.17 billion to £2.60 billion.
Ministers are modelling the construction and planning of new towns on the regeneration of Stratford, near London City Airport, before and after the 2012 Olympic Games.
The work was overseen by a development corporation, which had powers to compulsorily purchase land and grant planning permission.
Sir Keir Starmer labelled the proposals as ‘national renewal in action, building Britain’s future and giving the key to home ownership to young families across the country’.
However, Mr Oates warned that homeowners may be in for a rude awakening, with mortgage companies potentially refusing to lend on properties subjected to signficant flight blight.
He also warned that savvy estate agents may mask the impact of flights overhead by timing viewings to dodge the noisiest periods.
He said: ‘We know already stories of estate agents only showing properties at particular times of day or days of the week.
‘Low-cost airports are busiest in what they call slot one – 5 to 7am – and then later at night. So if you’re trying to flog a house in Essex, which is on the Stansted flight path, they’ll show it at 2pm on a Monday.’
Seasonality can also lull buyers into a false sense of security.
‘There are 60 per cent more flights in the UK in August than in February,’ Mr Oates said, describing cases where buyers move in during the quieter winter months and are stunned by what arrives in summer.
‘You hear of people moving into houses in Kent and then, come the summer, they have a rude awakening as a regular stream of low-flying, large aircraft shatter their peace.
In the very worst areas, he said, the consequences can go beyond lower house prices and into mortgage availability.
‘At the end of a runway, you’re looking at a flight blight rating of 0.5 to 1,’ he said, with some communities around Heathrow effectively ‘cash buyers only’ and filled with houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs).
‘Some mortgage lenders classify severe aviation noise as an uninsurable risk,’ he added, saying lenders are beginning to incorporate aviation noise into valuation checks in the same way surveyors now assess flood risk or nearby energy infrastructure.
The warning comes as airports across the UK push for expansion and later operating hours, raising fears that the problem is poised to worsen.
Leeds Bradford Airport, for example, was used by 4.24 million passengers in 2024, up by 5.8 per cent on 2023.
The number of flights has increased in that period by 6.2 per cent, with an average 87 per day.
Currently the airport is permitted 2,920 take offs and landings between 23:00 and 07:00 during the summer.
But owners Aena have repeatedly to see the cap amended to allow more night flights.
My Flight Path’s algorithm analyses around 100 million data points over a 12-month period and, for each property, assesses aircraft within a two-mile radius under 15,000 feet, factoring in aircraft type, altitude and frequency.
Mr Oates called on the government to address ‘this critical public health issue’ before final site decisions are made this spring, though work on three sites is already underway.
He added: ‘Alternative locations exist that would deliver the same economic benefits without condemning families to a lifetime under flight paths.
‘This isn’t nimbyism – it’s evidence-based planning that puts public health first.’
An MHCLG spokesperson said: ‘Our landmark plan to build new towns will help restore the dream of homeownership for families across the country.
‘The government will be working closely with local leaders to understand the impacts of potential new towns locations and will carry out the appropriate assessments and consultations before any final decisions are made on locations.’
