Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement of new national planning rules to boost homebuilding, National Infrastructure Commission Chair Sir John Armitt said:

“The UK will need to build new homes over coming decades to remain prosperous and tackle the chronic lack of affordable housing. But we cannot just build more houses – we have to learn from mistakes of the past and create sustainable, well-designed communities where people want to live and work, and that support business growth.

“Well-designed infrastructure, and particularly local transport, can play a crucial role in addressing some of the most serious constraints on housing and ensuring that new houses become homes – built in the right place and supporting the long-term needs of local people and businesses. Our report on the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford Arc offers a valuable blueprint for how to do this.”

The Commission’s report on the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford Growth Arc recommended one million new homes in the area by 2050, supported by well-planned and funded infrastructure and a shared central and local government vision to delivers this transformation. This was supported in the announcement by the Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government this weekend in which he revealed plans for three to four garden towns in the region.

The Commission believes the principles established in this report could be applied to the development of new homes and communities across the UK, but that this requires a shift in approach by policy makers.