At 3pm on Wednesday 21 January 2026, the House of Lords Built
Environment Committee will hear evidence from:
- Rt Hon OBE MP, Secretary of State for
Housing, Communities and Local Government, (MHCLG)
- Lise-Anne Boissiere, Co-Director for New Towns,
Infrastructure and Housing Delivery, MHCLG.
This is the final evidence session of the second module of the
committee's inquiry into new towns and expanded settlements. This
module has focused 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 1 of the House of Lords and streamed live on
Parliament TV.
Questions likely to be covered in this session include:
- Does building new and expanded settlements remain a priority
for this Government and will it do so beyond the current
electoral cycle?
- Some of the proposed new town locations have been met with a
significant local backlash. How can local concerns be assuaged?
- No funding was allocated to the new towns programme in the
Budget. The committee has been told that this programme will not
succeed without central Government investment. What future
funding can be expected?
- How does the Government intend to ensure that the new towns
are built to the highest design standards and act as exemplars
for future development across the country?
- Has the Government moved too far away from its policy and
statutory commitments to environmental protection and enhancement
in its quest for economic and, in particular, housing growth?
