The political focus on new towns risks eclipsing town centre regeneration 

New towns are ambitious but slow. New settlements require strategic land assembly, new utilities, new transport links and often new governance structures. They can unlock long-term growth but they are complicated, capital intensive and sensitive to changes in policy and markets. They rely on stable funding and political momentum over years, which is rarely guaranteed.

Town centres, by contrast, have much of the infrastructure already in place. Many sites sit within strong public transport networks and benefit from political support for change. Revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework to introduce a default ‘yes’ for homes around railway stations reinforce the potential of sustainable urban locations and should strengthen the case for centrally located housing.

“Increasing town centre housing is not simply a response to targets. It is a practical way to stabilise and re-energise the places we already rely on”

New towns matter but they will not deliver the early completions needed in the 2020s. That is where town centres come in.

Town centres are ready to grow. The strongest argument for placing more homes in town centres is that these places are already deeply embedded in daily life. They have shops, services, schools, cultural venues and employers. What they often lack is a stable resident population that can sustain them.

The decline of the traditional high street is well known, yet public attitudes have not shifted in the same direction. Surveys consistently show that a vibrant local high street remains a key factor in where people want to live and that residents want the government to support local businesses.

Introducing homes into these locations tackles several challenges at once. It makes better use of brownfield land, reduces pressure on the countryside, supports public transport and provides everyday footfall for cafés, gyms, health services and cultural activities.

Increasing town centre housing is not simply a response to targets. It is a practical way to stabilise and re-energise the places we already rely on.

The high street is no longer defined by retail. Much transactional activity now takes place online. People visit town centres for experiences, leisure, health and social interaction. Food, well-being and community uses have expanded in place of traditional shops.

Planning reform has supported this, to an extent. The introduction of Use Class E in 2020 was intended to allow a bookshop to become a nursery or a gym without needing a change of use. In theory, that flexibility supports healthy town centres, but some authorities are narrowing the scope of Class E through locally specific policies designed to maintain established patterns of activity.

The concerns are understandable: noise, servicing and the loss of active frontages can all affect the environment for residents and visitors. But these issues can be addressed through good design, management and carefully drafted conditions. If change is restricted too tightly, centres risk being frozen in a pattern the market no longer supports.

On the Leatherhead scheme in Surrey we have argued for full flexibility within Class E. If a small, independent business wants to expand, or a startup wants to occupy a vacant unit, that process should not require a return to committee. Town centres must evolve, not be preserved in aspic.

The contrast between new town rhetoric and town centre reality is evident in the projects we are advising on.

“New towns still have a place. In some areas they are the only practical means of accommodating strategic growth and unlocking major infrastructure. But they should not be treated as a universal answer”

In Leatherhead, we have submitted an application for a joint venture between Mole Valley District Council and Kier Property covering the Swan Centre and Bull Hill. The plans include up to 480 homes on a brownfield site close to the station and high street, around 10,000 square metres of modern office space, a three-screen cinema, new cafés and restaurants and new community and health facilities. The scheme will deliver better public spaces, play areas, walking and cycling routes and a 519-space multistorey car park.

Leatherhead faces issues familiar across many commuter towns: competition from larger centres, an ageing population and a high street that has lost some of its energy. More people live in surrounding villages than in the town itself. Our aim is to bring residents back into the centre, including younger people who work from home but still want to go out for lunch, use a gym or just buy a pint of milk.

Hounslow offers a slightly different case. The High Street Quarter scheme has delivered more than 500 homes and over 12,000 square metres of commercial space, including a cinema and a new public square, in roughly a decade from the point at which the developer was selected and the planning application submitted. The scheme enhances rather than replaces the existing high street and has strengthened the wider centre.

In my experience, the ingredients for success are strong political leadership, local authority involvement in land ownership, excellent transport connectivity, a mix of uses that supports activity throughout the day and night and a focus on public realm and walkable connections.

Town centre regeneration is complex. Demolition, remediation, heritage, phasing around existing uses and higher design standards all add cost. Viability is a challenge across most forms of development, but in town centres the margins can be especially tight.

One advantage is that local authorities often hold key land interests. This does not remove the need for a commercial return but it can unlock joint ventures and more flexible deal structures. Targeted funding, such as infrastructure funding or brownfield programmes, remains essential.

There is also a role for demand-side support. An update of Help to Buy, with a location-based focus on sustainable urban areas, could support first-time buyers into town centre homes and reinforce local spending patterns.

Above all, what town centres need is long-term commitment. The shift from one-off redevelopment projects to sustained town centre strategies, backed by capable public and private partners, is both necessary and overdue. Carter Jonas now advises on centres across the country through joint ventures that share risk and reward. This model is far closer to what genuine delivery requires.

New towns still have a place. In some areas they are the only practical means of accommodating strategic growth and unlocking major infrastructure. But they should not be treated as a universal answer.

If we want to build 1.5 million homes and create stronger, more sustainable communities, then town centre regeneration must sit alongside new settlements rather than somewhere in their shadow. The principles now shaping successful town centres – mixed use, connectivity, stewardship and genuine partnership – should also inform the next generation of new communities.

For the government, the real test is whether they can support both with equal seriousness. That means giving as much attention to the viability and flexibility of brownfield town centre schemes as to the promotion of new towns. If that balance is achieved, the places we already have will play a crucial role in delivering the homes the country needs.

Katy Davis, national head of planning, Carter Jonas