New Towns Acts
The New Towns Acts were a series of Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to found new settlements or to expand substantially existing ones, to establish Development Corporations to deliver them, and to create a Commission to wind up the Corporations and take over their assets and liabilities. Of these, the more substantive acts were the New Towns Act 1946 and the Town Development Act 1952. "The New Towns Act [1946] was intended to pre-emptively direct urban growth and infrastructural development into new towns, thereby decentralising population and economic opportunity while inhibiting urban sprawl."[1]
New Towns were developed in three generations.
By 2002, about 2 million people were housed in the New Towns, in about 500,000 homes.[2]
New Towns Act 1946
An Act to provide for the creation of new towns by means of development corporations, and for purposes connected therewith.
9 & 10 Geo. 6. c. 68
1 August 1946
An Act to encourage town development in county districts for the relief of congestion or over-population elsewhere, and for related purposes, and to repeal subsection (5) of section nineteen of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1944, and part of subsection (1) of section five of the New Towns Act, 1946.
15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. 54
An Act to increase the amount of the advances which may be made under section twelve of the New Towns Act, 1946.
15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. 27
26 June 1952
An Act to increase the amount of the advances which may be made to development corporations under section twelve of the New Towns Act, 1946.
1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. 38
31 July 1953
New Towns Act 1955
An Act to increase the amount of the advances which may be made to development corporations under section twelve of the New Towns Act, 1946.
3 & 4 Eliz. 2. c. 4
29 March 1955
New Towns Act 1958
An Act to increase the aggregate amount of the advances which may be made to development corporations under subsection (1) of section twelve of the New Towns Act, 1946; and to amend section thirteen of that Act in respect of the reports and accounts to be laid before Parliament.
6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. 12
20 February 1958
An Act to make fresh provision respecting the limits on the amount of the advances which may be made to development corporations under section 12(1) of the New Towns Act 1946 and the Commission for the New Towns under section 3(1) of the New Towns Act 1959.
1964 c. 8
27 February 1964
New Towns Act 1965
An Act to raise the limit on advances imposed by section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965; to amend the Land Compensation Act 1961 and the Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1963 in connection with extensions made after the commencement of this Act to the areas of new towns; to repeal provisions of section 46 of the New Towns Act 1965 and section 13 of the New Towns Act 1946 relating to certain accounts and reports; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
1966 c. 44
13 December 1966
An Act to raise the limit on advances imposed by section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965, as amended by subsequent enactments.
1969 c. 5
6 March 1969
An Act to make, as respects England and Wales, new provision in place of section fifteen of the New Towns Act, 1946, as to the disposal of the undertakings of development corporations and other matters arising when a development corporation has achieved or substantially achieved the purposes for which it is established; to amend the law relating to development corporations by increasing the limit on the advances which may be made to them under sub section (1) of section twelve of that Act, by providing for housing subsidies to be wholly or partly withheld in respect of dwellings disposed of by them, and by authorising them to make contributions towards the provision of amenities; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. 62
29 July 1959
New Towns Act 1981
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to new towns and to matters connected therewith, being (except in the case of section 1(1) of the New Towns Act 1964) those enactments in their application to England and Wales; with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.
1965 c. 59
England and Wales
5 August 1965
- Town and Country Planning Act 1944
- New Towns Act 1958
- New Towns Act 1964
- New Towns (No. 2) Act 1964
New Towns Act 1981
An Act to make provision for the creation of new towns, for the exercise by new town commissions of certain functions in relation to such towns, for the expansion or development of existing towns, and for purposes related to those matters.
1965 c. 13 (N.I.)
Northern Ireland
24 June 1965
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to new towns and to matters connected therewith being those enactments in their application to Scotland; with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.
1968 c. 16
Scotland
28 March 1968
- New Towns Act 1946
- New Towns Act 1958
- New Towns Act 1964
- New Towns (No. 2) Act 1964
An Act to raise the limit on advances imposed by section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965, as amended by subsequent enactments.
1971 c. 81
16 December 1971
An Act to raise the limits imposed by the New Towns Act 1965 on the amounts which may be borrowed by the development corporations for new towns and the Commission for the New Towns and make provision for the payment of pensions to chairmen of development corporations and of remuneration and allowances to members of committees conducting business for the Commission.
1975 c. 42
3 July 1975
An Act to provide for the transfer to district councils of the interest of the Commission for the New Towns and development corporations in dwellings and of any associated property, rights, liabilities and obligations; to increase the maximum number of members of development corporations; and for connected purposes.
1976 c. 68
15 November 1976
An Act to increase the limit imposed by section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965 on the amounts which may be borrowed by development corporations and the Commission for the New Towns.
1977 c. 23
22 July 1977
An Act to increase the limit imposed by section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965 on the amounts which may be borrowed by development corporations and the Commission for the New Towns.
1980 c. 36
30 June 1980
An Act to increase the limit imposed by section 60 of the New Towns Act 1981 on the amounts which may be borrowed by development corporations and the Commission for the New Towns.
1982 c. 7
25 February 1982
An Act to remove the limit on the amount of grants that may be made to urban development corporations and to provide a new limit applicable only to the amounts for the time being outstanding in respect of sums borrowed by them and sums issued by the Treasury in fulfilment of guarantees of their debts.
1987 c. 57
17 December 1987
An Act to provide for the transfer to district councils of the interest of the Commission for the New Towns and development corporations in dwellings and of any associated property, rights, liabilities and obligations; to increase the maximum number of members of development corporations; and for connected purposes.
1976 c. 68
15 November 1976
New Towns Act 1981
An Act to make provision as respects the revocation or variation of orders made under section 1, 2 or 5(1) of the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1968; and for connected purposes.
1977 c. 16
Scotland
26 May 1977
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to new towns and connected matters, being (except for section 43 of the New Towns Act 1965 and sections 126 and 127 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and certain related provisions) enactments which apply only to England and Wales.
1981 c. 64
England and Wales
30 October 1981
- New Towns Act 1959
- New Towns Act 1965
- New Towns Act 1966
- New Towns Act 1975
- New Towns (Amendment) Act 1976
- New Towns Act 1977
- New Towns Act 1980
An Act to make provision with respect to certain matters connected with new towns; to amend paragraph 8(1) of Schedule 31 to the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980; and for connected purposes.
1985 c. 5
11 March 1985
An Act to establish public bodies to be known as Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and to make provision as to their functions; to dissolve the Scottish Development Agency and the Highlands and Islands Development Board; to make further provision as regards new towns in Scotland; and for connected purposes.
1990 c. 35
Scotland
26 July 1990
An Act to amend Schedule 9 to the New Towns Act 1981.
1994 c. 5
England and Wales
24 March 1994