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House of Lords

What I told the House of Lords about building community in a new town

When you move into a new town, you arrive with hope. You also arrive without history, routines or relationships. Buildings may be finished, but community takes time, care and support to grow.

Earlier this year, I was invited to give evidence to the House of Lords Built Environment Select Committee as part of their inquiry into how we create successful new towns. I spoke about Northstowe, where I live and work, and about what we have learned through Northstowe Arts since the town began to take shape.

One of the most important things I shared is that community does not simply happen on its own. People bring goodwill and energy with them, but without support, that early enthusiasm can turn into exhaustion rather than connection. Community development needs time, space and follow through.

In Northstowe, temporary community spaces played a vital role in the early years. Part of the primary school was used as a shared space for activity, and later a temporary building known as The Cabin became a hub for creative sessions, meetings, health appointments and informal conversations. These spaces were not perfect, but they allowed people to meet, talk and begin to build trust.

Arts and creativity have been central to this process. Through festivals, public art, heritage projects and small scale creative sessions, people found ways to connect with each other and feel at home, particularly after the isolation of the pandemic. Creativity offered a way in for people who might not otherwise have engaged in organised community activity.

I also spoke about funding and sustainability. Many community organisations can access funding for projects, but far fewer can access support for the time it takes to build long term resilience. We set up Northstowe Arts as a Community Interest Company because we wanted to avoid grant dependency, but building a sustainable organisation alongside delivering work requires capacity, not just commitment.

Another key point was heritage. New places are often described as having no identity, but Northstowe’s history stretches back to Roman times, with many layers in between. Sharing that story through art and creative interpretation has helped residents feel connected to the place they now call home.

Giving evidence to the House of Lords was encouraging. It felt like there was genuine interest in learning from what is happening on the ground, not just from policy or theory.

If we want new towns to thrive, we must invest not only in buildings, but in the social and cultural work that helps people belong.

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