UK's New Towns Plan Lacks Ambition, Say Original Planners

The architects of the UK's famous postwar new towns have criticized the government's latest housing plan. They say it lacks vision and fails to prioritize social housing. Lee Shostak helped plan Milton Keynes in the 1970s. He later chaired the Town and Country Planning Association. He warns the new programme may not help those most in need of homes. Other senior planners from that era agree. They say the current plan does not match the ambition of past projects. Those projects, known as "new towns," were built to solve major housing shortages after World War II. The critics argue that strong government commitment and funding for affordable housing are missing. Without these, they say, the new towns will not succeed.