Five millennium villages and two national parks are among the new projects unveiled by deputy prime minister John Prescott in his speech to the Labour Party conference on Wednesday.

Prescott said the “flagships for urban renaissance” would build on the lessons learned at the Millennium Villages in Greenwich and Allerton Bywater, Yorkshire.

Competition details for the first new village will be announced next year. Possible locations include an existing urban area, a market town, a brownfield site and a seaside town.

Prescott said national parks would be created in the South Downs and in the New Forest.