We welcome the government’s New Towns Programme as a significant opportunity to create long-term, sustainable places for communities and nature. Its ability to achieve economic, environmental, health and social success will be greatly enhanced by embedding landscape-led approaches from the outset of New Town design and planning, and sustaining them throughout delivery and long-term stewardship.

We call for landscape practitioners to be included as mandatory within multidisciplinary teams at every stage of planning and delivery. Green and blue infrastructure should also be recognised as functional, essential infrastructure – not merely amenity – and the programme aligned with the Land Use Framework and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

Our new polling reinforces the public case: 89% of people say access to green space matters when choosing a home, and 90% value green features between buildings and pavements.

Housing and environmental ambitions are not in conflict. A landscape-led approach can deliver both, creating places that are healthy, resilient, and fit for people to live in for generations to come.

The responses to the consultation questions reflect the views of Landscape Institute Policy Committee and Planning Task & Finish members.