The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has issued a response to the House of Lords Built Environment Committee’s report on New Towns.

RIBA President, Chris Williamson, said:

“Today’s report on new towns echoes many of our recommendations, from recognising the value that well-designed public spaces bring, to ensuring access to active travel options. We welcome its acknowledgment that high-quality placemaking is essential to creating successful new communities, although this must be supported with upfront investment in physical and social infrastructure.

“We are pleased to see a clear emphasis on design principles that reflect local need and context, including a focus on inclusive design. For these places to thrive, their design must also be informed by meaningful community engagement, ensuring residents have an opportunity to shape the delivery process.

“Adequately resourcing local planning authorities is essential to the success of new towns, and the report is clear that insufficient capacity in the planning system poses a significant risk. Our November 2025 Future trends survey illustrates this challenge, with 80% of architectural practices surveyed have experienced project delays due to planning, 40% of them reporting delays by six months or more, and 13% seeing projects abandoned entirely.

“Architects are well-placed to help the government deliver well-designed new towns and we look forward to working with them to bring best practice to life.”

(Picture: Yay Images)