Breaking the gridlock on the next generation of New Towns and delivering new settlements

Chair: Tim Burke, editor 

Speakers:  Lee Gordon, partner, Walker Morris Paula Hirst, director, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town

The UK is standing at the edge of a new urban frontier, fuelled by a government mandate to build the first "New Towns" of the 21st century. But between the political ambition and the first spade in the ground lies a high-stakes landscape of fragmented land ownership, staggering infrastructure costs, a myriad of stakeholders and the relentless pressure of long-term viability.

This episode, recorded at UKREiiF, goes beyond the headlines to explore the "heavy lifting" required to develop a new community from scratch. We’ll look at the strategic foundations and practical lessons relating to other new town and new settlement projects to address common challenges.

This is a deep dive into both consenting and delivery aspects, including the role of public-private partnerships and where funding must align perfectly with private sector momentum to bridge the viability gap. This episode will move past the dry legalities of planning to tackle the "infrastructure-first" mandate and the strategic art of creating an eco-system long before the first resident moves in.