HOMEOWNERS could be forced to sell their properties to make space for new towns under Labour plans.
Up to seven new locations have been chosen for new towns to be built across the UK, as the government looks to boost its faltering housebuilding pledge.
But a new report in The i Paper has claimed that private land, home and business owner could be forced to hand over their property to make way for the developments.
The government said there will be “land supply certainty”.
This means they will guarantee that land is available for development by forcing owners to sell up if necessary, the outlet explained.
Most new towns will make use of already vacant land, but some of the sites identified are already small villages, meaning some homeowners and businesses may be asked to sell.
Elsewhere, new public bodies set up to deliver some of the new towns will also be established and they too could have the power to buy land if seen fit.
A consultation document published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government also said that their initial approach will be to work with landowners to acquire land through “voluntary negotiation”.
But added that where negotiations are not successful, the use of “compulsory purchase powers may be considered”.
It said that this was to “ensure that land can be planned and delivered comprehensively and that the public value generated through land value capture is maximised.”
Details of the new towns were published yesterday.
As many as 15,000 homes could be built in Manchester Victoria North, with plans also including a new Metrolink stop.
Elsewhere, up to 40,000 home could be built in Tempsford, Bedforshire, along with a new East West rail station.
While some 15,000 homes could be constructed in Thamesmead, Greenwich.
The final locations are due to be confirmed later in 2026.
It forms part of an ambitious housebuilding scheme being rolled out by the government. Labour is looking to build 1.5million new homes by 2029.
The Sun has approached the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government for comment.
The proposed locations of the new towns
- Tempsford, Bedfordshire — up to 40,000 homes built around a new East West Rail station, linking residents to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes
- Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield — up to 21,000 homes helping to meet London’s acute housing need
- Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire — up to 20,000 homes capitalising on the city’s economic momentum and the government’s £2.1 billion local transport investment
- Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester — at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city
- Thamesmead, Greenwich — up to 15,000 homes unlocking inaccessible riverside land in London, enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension
- Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire — up to 40,000 homes at the heart of a world-class research and advanced engineering economy
- Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire — building on its history as one of the original new towns, to take forward the ‘renewed town’ vision to expand the city by around 40,000 homes and reinvigorate the centre with a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor
