Why it’s so important to change the public perception of new towns

By Brian Yates 2025-12-10T07:00:00

Only large-scale developments can offer enough investment for the major new infrastructure that people want and need, but we must work hard to take those people with us, writes Brian Yates at Stantec

What words come to mind when you are asked to describe a ”new town”? Do you live in one? Would you live in one?

It won’t surprise many people in the development industry if I say that the general British public’s view of new towns – once utopian ideals – is currently not a positive one.

Last month, Stantec published a new report on public perceptions of new towns. YouGov data in the report shows only a quarter of British people find the idea of moving to a new town appealing.

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