Weekly Policy Update |
up to Monday 23rd March 2026

Seven new towns proposed to kickstart housebuilding push

Seven locations proposed as new towns with each location delivering at least 10,000 homes with several delivering up to 40,000.  The proposed locations are: 

• Tempsford, Bedfordshire — up to 40,000 homes built around a new East West Rail station, linking residents to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes 
• Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield — up to 21,000 homes helping to meet London’s acute housing need 
• Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire — up to 20,000 homes capitalising on the city’s economic momentum and the government’s £2.1 billion local transport investment 
• Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester — at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city 
• Thamesmead, Greenwich — up to 15,000 homes unlocking inaccessible riverside land in London, enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension 
• Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire — up to 40,000 homes at the heart of a world-class research and advanced engineering economy 
• Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire — building on its history as one of the original new towns, to take forward the ‘renewed town’ vision to expand the city by around 40,000 homes and reinvigorate the centre with a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor 

See Seven new towns proposed to kickstart housebuilding push – GOV.UK

Industry Training Board Reform Consultation

DWP, the sponsors of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), has today published a consultation seeking views on the government’s proposal to bring together ECITB and CITB to create a single, unified Industry Training Board (ITB) to act on behalf of the construction and engineering construction sectors. The proposal sets out:

• the rationale for ITB reform, including the skills challenges the reform seeks to address
• the proposed approach to ITB reform and the intended benefits of a single, unified ITB
• the technical detail of creating a single, unified ITB, including implications for its governance, levy arrangements and skills offers
• alternative approaches to ITB reform that were considered

Views are also sought on two potential areas for future ITB reform:

• whether further changes should be considered to the employer activity in scope of a single ITB
• whether the maximum period for an ITB Levy Order should be extended beyond 3 years

The consultation details and document can be found here.

Land Use Framework published 

The government has set out how England should use land more efficiently for housing, infrastructure, energy, food production and nature recovery. A new national spatial map will show how environmental, agricultural and development priorities overlap. Better digital tools, planning reform, and improved spatial data will guide decisions from national to local level.

For the built environment, this means:

• A push for climate‑resilient, nature‑positive, well‑connected housing
• Faster and more consistent planning decisions
• Stronger expectations around land efficiency, flood risk and water management
• Greater emphasis on energy infrastructure and multi‑use land

Government publishes response to EAC report on environmental sustainability and housing growth  

The government has responded to the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee’s report on environmental sustainability and housing growth, rejecting several key recommendations. This includes calls for mandatory whole‑life carbon assessments and ecological training for planners. It will publish a timeline for small‑site Biodiversity Net Gain exemptions, but will not introduce new ecological resource hubs or require full transparency on some environmental improvements.  Committee Chair Toby Perkins MP has raised concerns that this could undermine confidence in the government’s environmental ambition.

Warm Homes Plan success hinges on policy certainty and skilled workforce, ESNZ Committee hears 

Several organisations told MPs during an oral evidence session to the ESNZ committee (the parliamentary committee monitoring the Department for Energy and Net Zero) that scaling heat decarbonisation will depend as much on policy certainty and consumer engagement as funding. Delays to schemes have already caused job losses in insulation. They highlighted the need for a skilled installer base, stable funding, green finance and stronger consumer protections.

In the news 

Government steel strategy set to drive up construction costs | Construction Enquirer News

Second-generation nuclear reactor demolition era begins | Construction Enquirer News

One in four construction workers now under 30 | Construction Enquirer News

UK set to publish green homes plan amid Iran energy shock – POLITICO

NPPF reforms must not jeopardise design quality, RIBA warns

London homes overheating due to climate change, experts warn – BBC News

Mental health issues are a key contributor to construction’s skills crisis | Comment | Building

The tech trying to end construction’s 300-year-old payment problem | Construction News