Taking New Towns from vision to delivery

In October, Mace Consult hosted a Whitehall & Industry Group briefing on the future of New Towns policy and infrastructure delivery, joined by Cathy Francis from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Jessica Matthew from the Department for Transport. 

It was a fantastic discussion, highlighting a shared viewpoint across those speaking. When we talk about New Towns, we’re really talking about how Britain chooses to grow again.  

It means not just building new houses, but creating functioning places comprised of interlocking systems where infrastructure, economy and community work together. 
 
The New Towns Taskforce’s Report to Government in September set out this ambition: developments of 10,000 homes or more, delivered through dedicated Development Corporations, supported by long-term funding and stewardship models. 
 
But as we highlighted in our paper Delivering New Towns, without an early focus on delivery and constructability, good intentions risk becoming just talk. The key challenge to the new towns vision isn’t a lack of ambition – it’s risks to deliverability and viability. 

The task ahead isn’t simply to plan new towns, it’s to deliver them, through systems thinking that connects people, place and purpose. Even with planning reform accelerating through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, too many schemes struggle to move from vision to build.  

To surmount this common challenge and take New Towns beyond ambition alone, we need to learn lessons from the past around true delivery for major projects and programmes. For us, this includes reflecting on the legacy in Stratford following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. 

The legacy of the 2012 Games 

When most people talk about London 2012, they think of the Games. 

But for those of us focused on delivery, as big an achievement was what came next: the major regeneration of Stratford and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A reference point for the New Towns programmes of tomorrow. 

Over the decade that followed, more than 13,000 homes, 50 hectares of parkland, five new neighbourhoods and 1.2 million square feet of commercial space were delivered alongside schools, universities, culture and transport that has permanently reshaped east London.  

As delivery partner to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), we are proud to have played a key role in this development. 

The successful delivery of Stratford’s regeneration fundamentally draws upon five key principles. 

1. Single-purpose governance  

Whether the ODA or LLDC, the works across the Park were led by one empowered delivery body. 

This aligns perfectly with the guidance of the New Towns Taskforce’s report, which highlights the role of Development Corporations for successful new town delivery. 

2. Infrastructure-first  

For both the 2012 Games and wider Stratford regeneration, transport and utility connections were in place before any entertainment or housing.

This point was emphasised during our lunchtime briefing. All new towns must be undercut with robust transport networks to avoid creating housing ‘islands’ leaving residents feeling isolated. 

3. Constructability from the start  

London 2012 fundamentally redefined how to plan and build complex programmes at pace, combining industry-leading expertise with the confidence to follow through right from day one.  

Whether through front-loaded design coordination and buildability reviews, an emphasis on Modern Methods of Construction and off-site manufacturing to reduce waste, or the use of digital dashboards and Building Information Modelling for real-time oversight of progress, the focus on how the games and regeneration programmes would be constructed proved incredibly valuable. This approach was key to ensuring successful delivery.

4. The right delivery model  

The ODA’s delivery partner model (comprised of a joint venture that saw Mace work alongside CH2M and Laing O’Rourke to form ‘CLM’) merged public oversight with private-sector capability.  

Together, ODA and CLM united around shared risk and reward to incentivise the right behaviours across the programme. The programme utilised an innovative contract structure that meant CLM shared the delivery risk, receiving payments only upon achieving the milestones, KPIs and cost benchmarks agreed at the start of the relationship.  

This delivery model incentivised delivery throughout the programme, leading to exceptional results. The 2012 Games were delivered a year before schedule and under budget.  

5. Delivering for the long-term 

Following the completion of the 2012 Games, LLDC focused on using this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the creation of the Park to develop a dynamic new heart for East London, creating opportunities for local people and driving innovation and growth across London and the wider UK. 

This was made possible by uniting governance, programmes, investment mechanisms, teams and cultures around a single long-term vision and commitment to regenerating this region of East London and improving the lives of East Londoners. 

For future new towns, this is perhaps the most important principle to not only visualise a new development but to follow through on long-term delivery – thinking far beyond short-term goals. 

If we want New Towns to succeed, we must embed delivery into their DNA from day one - not as an afterthought, but as the foundation on which thriving, future-ready communities are built.