Lords new towns inquiry to hear evidence on the social and cultural infrastructure of new towns

At 10.45am on Tuesday 18 November, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee will hear evidence from:

• Professor Rhiannon Corcoran, Professor of Psychology and Public Mental Health, University of Liverpool
• Paula Bond, Head of Northstowe Arts
• Kevin McGeough, Head of Strategy and Placemaking, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.

This is the third evidence session of the second module of the committee's inquiry into new towns and expanded settlements. This module is focusing on placemaking and community building, answering the fundamental question: how can we ensure that new towns are places where people want to live and where they will thrive?

This evidence session, which is open to the public, will be held in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords and streamed live on Parliament TV.  

Questions likely to be covered in this session include:

• To what extent can external stakeholders support the emergence of a successful new community, or is this always something that can only happen organically?
• Is social infrastructure seen as an after-thought in contemporary major UK development?
• What sort of physical places and spaces are required to accommodate the varied and evolving needs of residents?

• If social, cultural, and community infrastructure is not initially commercially viable, how can it be developed, and by whom?