The first three locations will succeed or fail on trust as much as transport and tenure
Last month the government has now whittled down its initial list of 12 new towns to seven and has said it will confirm the locations of the new towns in the summer. It has also launched a consultation on its New Towns Draft Programme.
This is a significant development for local authorities, land promoters, developers and funders because it brings about more certainty. It also matters from a PR point of view, because the first few weeks in which local residents are aware of a significant new development will set the tone for everything that follows.
From broadcast to conversation
There are no recent new towns that we can learn from in terms of communications. The successful new towns were commenced in the post-war period, in a very different media environment. Information moved through a handful of outlets — national newspapers, radio and a single BBC television channel. When the government spoke, most people heard broadly the same message and there were fewer ways to challenge it quickly.
Today's media environment couldn't be more different. It is networked, fast and driven by peer-to-peer sharing. National announcements are translated through Facebook groups, WhatsApp chains and hyperlocal newsletters within hours, Chinese whispers can spread in minutes and opposition can build almost as quickly.
People now expect to see the evidence, to test the trade-offs and challenge assumptions in real time. They will also judge the process by whether it feels fair, not by whether it meets a minimum statutory bar.
Even a planning website link or a PDF promoted via social media is not true two-way communication; neither is an exhibition launched once the fundamentals are fixed. The modern standard is both simpler and harder: explain early, explain plainly and show your workings. Use short visual explainers alongside technical documents, be explicit about what can change and create a feedback loop that shows what you have changed.
Furthermore, a significant new risk is AI tools which can generate convincing (albeit not necessarily accurate) objections at scale.
Volume and polish are no longer a reliable proxy for expertise. The practical response is to publish primary sources in accessible formats, correct errors quickly and make it easy for residents to find accurate information without needing to 'win' an algorithm.
Five suggestions for communicating the benefits of a new town
First, make the local case, not the national one. National need is real, but people want to know what changes on their street — schools, health capacity, flood risk, green space and construction impacts.
Second, lead with trade-offs. If you only sell benefits, you invite cynicism. Acknowledge what will be difficult and how it will be managed — objectivity and mitigation are the basis of the planning system.
Third, recruit trusted messengers. Local employers, community leaders, youth groups and respected professionals can carry nuance in a way 'official' channels often cannot.
Fourth, design for closed networks. Assume the debate is happening in places you cannot see. Provide shareable facts and simple visuals that can travel without context.
Fifth, show the communications process has credibility. The best engagement is not 'tell us what you think' but 'here is what we changed because you told us'.
Communications is not a finishing coat applied once the masterplan is drawn, it is part of delivery. And the way in which communications is handled in Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank will impact the reputation of the next nine new towns too.