King Charles’s town-building ideas shape next wave of new towns in England
Government plans for 12 walkable, environmentally conscious towns echo the monarch’s traditional design principles
Britain's housing ministry is poised to unveil plans for 12 new towns in England that mirror King Charles III's long-held town-building philosophy, officials said. The proposals emphasize walkable layouts, environmental sustainability and gentler density rather than high-rise blocks. Government briefings indicate more than 100 sites have been proposed for towns of about 10,000 residents, with final selections expected to be announced soon. At a King's Foundation event at Hatfield House, Biljana Savic, the ministry's head of placemaking, outlined how the towns would be designed to fuse tradition with modern needs.
Officials described a design code to give communities a recognisable identity, with walkable plans and a significant share of affordable homes. “They will have a design code for buildings to create an identity,” Savic said. “The towns will be walkable, with environmental sustainability at the core, and a significant proportion of affordable housing.” The code, she added, will favor compact design with higher density, but not necessarily high-rise, embracing “gentle density models” such as terraced housing and mansion blocks.
King Charles's architectural philosophy, once at the centre of public disputes with the establishment, is now described as a mainstream influence by figures in the design world. TV architect George Clarke said the king’s views on buildings have shifted into the mainstream and recalled the monarch’s clashes with modern design plans, including his 1984 critique of a proposed extension to the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle.” Clarke noted a sea-change in attitudes toward sensitive, place-based architecture and cautioned against projects driven by ego rather than community needs. “Let's be honest, the enormous mass of 1960s brutalism was devastating for parts of Britain,” he said, adding that many contemporary schemes suffer from being over-massive and poorly integrated with local services. Clarke, who grew up in council housing in Washington, a new town in the north-east of England, said he would prefer living in a King Charles–inspired estate—well-designed, traditional in character, sustainably built, with quality windows, public spaces and pedestrian-friendly areas.
The king’s influence on new towns is already visible in projects such as Poundbury in Dorset and Nansledan in Cornwall, which emphasise walkable layouts, local materials and public spaces designed to foster community. The government says the new towns will feature a “design code,” environmental sustainability and a substantial proportion of affordable housing, with the aim of turning housing into homes and sites into communities. At the Hatfield event, Savic argued that post-war schemes taught hard lessons about car-centric planning, maintenance gaps in public spaces, transport bottlenecks and a lack of local jobs.
The King’s Foundation event also highlighted how other developments have drawn on traditional design cues. Poundbury and Nansledan were cited as practical examples of the monarch’s approach, while the new towns would seek to formalise these principles through a common code and a focus on green spaces, pedestrian networks and village greens. Industry observers say the emphasis on “gentle density”—not high-rise blocks—could help address housing pressures while preserving a sense of place and community life.
International voices at the summit offered broader reflections on the social role of well-designed town centres. Jim Brainard, mayor of Carmel, Indiana, noted that towns with strong centres can foster social cohesion across lines of differing backgrounds, faiths and races. He cited Seaside, Florida, which in popular culture was used for The Truman Show, as an example that borrowed ideas from Regency Bath and other historic models—illustrating how small communities can become gathering places that support a diverse public life.
The government says the final locations for the 12 new towns, each intended to house around 10,000 residents, will be announced in the near term as part of a wider drive to deliver about 1.5 million new homes. Ms. Savic stressed that the design framework would guide planning and deliver a consistent identity across sites, while allowing local adaptation to reflect regional character and needs. The aim is “turning housing into homes and sites into communities” by prioritising walkability, public spaces and sustainable-building practices within a compact, people-oriented footprint.
As planners weigh locations and finalize design codes, critics and supporters alike emphasise that the best of King Charles’s approach blends heritage with practical needs. The initiative reflects not only a shift in architectural dialogue but also a policy bet on creating enduring, people-friendly communities as Britain seeks to expand its housing stock without sacrificing character or social vitality.