Written by Owen Jarvis, UK Cohousing CEO and Tom Chance, CLT Network CEO,
In response to a request from the housing minister:
We outlines the policy and delivery framework to place community stewardship at the heart of the next generation of the UK’s New Towns.
The new report, produced by the UK Cohousing and Community Land Trust Network, backed by the Nationwide Foundation, calls on the government to formally integrate community-led development into the strategic governance and delivery of new towns. Links to versions of the report CLHNewTowns_PolicyMakersReport and CLHNewTowns-PractionerReport
“The heart of a town lies in its people.”
– Motto of the post-war new towns, quoted by the New Towns Taskforce
For too long, the UK’s largest new housing developments have struggled to deliver on that promise.
Top-down planning and speculative development have produced new settlements with poor social cohesion and weak infrastructure. One of the clearest recent examples is Northstowe – planned as the UK’s largest new town since Milton Keynes – but widely criticised by its own residents for lacking a sense of place. A local survey found 76% of residents were dissatisfied with local services. Many describe it as a town with “no heart”.
But that could soon change.
In a landmark move, Homes England sought to turnaround Northstowe and has selected two cohousing groups to develop homes at Northstowe. This marks the first time that cohousing has been proactively enabled on this scale within a new town — a recognition that community-led housing isn’t an optional extra, but essential to building connected, resilient places.
Cohousing is the antidote to placeless development
Cohousing communities put people at the centre. Residents co-design their neighbourhoods, share communal spaces, and build trust through everyday collaboration. They also take long-term responsibility for stewardship and governance — creating stable, inclusive, and healthy places to live.
Demand for cohousing continues to grow. Marmalade Lane, the award-winning development in Cambridge, has a long waiting list. Enabled by Cambridge City Council and developed by specialist TOWN, it has become a reference point for good design and community-led living. This success directly inspired Homes England’s decision at Northstowe.
The message is clear: cohousing works — and it’s time to scale it. And other forms of community led development.
Solutions are at hand
We already have proven models that give communities genuine agency as co-designers, partners, managers, stewards and owners of their neighbourhoods. From cohousing communities to community land trusts, housing co-operatives, community-run shops and pubs, social clubs, and self- and custom-built housing, these approaches offer a robust, people-powered alternative to business-as-usual development. They are not experimental — they’re established, successful, and hiding in plain sight.
A new framework for delivering better towns
In our joint report, Creating New Towns: By the People, For the People, the UK Cohousing Network, the Community Land Trust Network, and the Nationwide Foundation call for a bold shift in how new towns are planned and delivered.
We propose that:
- Every new town should include one or more community-led stewardship bodies vested with land and assets to shape each phase of development.
- Every phase should include at least 10% community-led or self/custom-built homes, rising to 40% over time — in line with international benchmarks.
This approach reflects the consensus reached at a national workshop we hosted with 80 people from developers (Vistry and some SMEs), landowners (public/private), local authorities, architects, planners, academics, community development experts and officials from Homes England and MHCLG, and Anna Clarke from the Housing Forum.
Backed by the Nationwide Foundation, and in response to a challenge set by the Housing Minister, we explored how community-led models could be embedded from land allocation through to long-term stewardship.
The outcome was clear: these models aren’t marginal — they’re essential.
Cohousing, community land trusts, and self-build should be present in every phase of delivery, not just as housing options, but as anchors for resilient, participatory placemaking.
This isn’t just about housing. It’s about how we create social infrastructure: places where people form friendships, take shared responsibility, and foster a sense of belonging. Cohousing communities offer not only homes, but communal kitchens, meeting rooms, shared gardens, and vibrant collective life — spaces that generate social capital and resilience from day one.
A call to action for policymakers and practitioners
We urge the New Towns Taskforce, local authorities, Homes England, and MHCLG to:
- Make cohousing and community-led housing a structural requirement in planning, delivery and stewardship of new towns — not a discretionary add-on.
- Embed diversity in delivery models in planning policy, land disposal, and procurement frameworks.
- Fund intermediary organisations and support services that help cohousing and community groups access land and build capacity.
As the Competition and Markets Authority has made clear, the existing model of private, unaccountable stewardship is failing. Community-led alternatives — grounded in accountability and long-term local engagement — must now be part of the mainstream solution.
To the UK Cohousing Network: this is a pivotal moment.
The Homes England decision at Northstowe shows that it is possible to embed cohousing into national development strategies. But we need more groups, more partnerships, and more action.
If you’re working on a large site or new town, get in touch. If you’re a group looking for land, or a developer open to new models, let’s talk.
If you’re a policymaker — read the report and explore how cohousing can deliver long-term value.
📥 Download the full report for policymakers
📬 Contact us at UK Cohousing Network
Let’s put community at the centre of place-making. Let’s give new towns a heart.