Ministers have selected seven locations for new towns to be built across the UK.

Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several delivering more than 40,000.

The new towns will feature neighbourhoods that people can easily get around without a car, shared green spaces and vibrant high streets, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

The seven chosen locations are:

Tempsford, Bedfordshire

Leeds South Bank, Yorkshire

Crews Hill and Chase Park, Greater London

Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester

Thamesmead, Greater London

Brabazon and West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Of these locations, Tempsford, which is currently home to just 600 people, is likely to be the most controversial.

The Government also assessed six other locations – Adlington, Heyford Park, Marlcombe, Plymouth, South Barking and Wychavon Town — but decided they will not be taken forward.

Among the names the government might call these new towns are Elizabethtown (after the Queen), Pankhurst (after suffragette Emmeline), Attleeton (after ex-PM), Athelstan (first King of England) and Seacole (after nurse Mary), the Times reported.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said “constrained” towns and cities were preventing areas from reaching “their full potential”

Speaking on Monday morning, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said he expected to see the first houses being built in at least three of the new towns by the end of this parliament.

“This is an important, and first formal step, in honouring that manifesto commitment to bring forward the next generation of new towns.”

He went on to say: “We want to see spades in the ground on at least three of these sites in this parliament.

“It’s so important to bring these large-scale new communities forward, not least to tackle the housing crisis, but also because our constrained towns and cities are hampering those places from realising their full potential.”

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In its manifesto, Labour pledged to begin work on 1.5 million new homes over the course of the Parliament, to expand homeownership to more Britons.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “People want real change – homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities.

“Our next generation of new towns marks a turning point in how we build for the future.

“From the ground up, we’re planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links and green spaces designed together — so we can give families the security and opportunities they deserve.”

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