BUILDOFFSITE Welcomes WPI Strategy’s Call for New Towns – With a Call to Embed Offsite at the Core

BUILDOFFSITE has welcomed the publication of WPI Strategy’s latest report, New Towns for England, as a timely and ambitious response to the UK’s housing crisis — and has urged policymakers to place offsite construction at the heart of delivery.

The report proposes the creation of 12 new towns across England, each capable of delivering at least 10,000 homes, while unlocking wider economic growth and local investment. BUILDOFFSITE recognises this as a strong opportunity to align with the priorities set out in its 2025–2030 Manifesto — which calls for the large-scale adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), a stronger emphasis on sustainability, and a value-based approach to procurement and planning.

“The scale and ambition of WPI’s New Towns proposal is exactly what’s needed,”  “But if we’re serious about building better, faster and greener, offsite manufacturing must be embedded from day one — not added as an afterthought.”

Aligning with the BUILDOFFSITE Manifesto

The Manifesto highlights six core policy areas — and the WPI report intersects with many of them:

1. Driving Demand at Scale: The proposed new towns offer the long-term pipeline visibility essential for offsite investment and capacity building.
2. Embedding Sustainability: BUILDOFFSITE supports the creation of climate-resilient communities and encourages the inclusion of systems like rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse using offsite-manufactured components.
3. Digital Transformation: Modular and platform-based construction approaches should be underpinned by digital design systems to enable repeatability and efficiency.
4. Assurance and Standards: With New Town Development Corporations (NTDCs) proposed, there’s an opportunity to standardise performance and adopt accreditation schemes such as BOPAS.
5. Procurement Reform: The recommended public-private partnership funding model should prioritise outcomes, quality and long-term performance over lowest-cost contracting.
6. Workforce Skills: As the report calls for greater planning capacity and flexibility in the skills levy, BUILDOFFSITE urges government to include offsite-specific training and MMC pathways.

Further Opportunities for Innovation

BUILDOFFSITE also sees clear scope to strengthen the integration of offsite by:

• Advocating for a presumption in favour of MMC across all planning and procurement for new towns
• Incorporating Sustainable Urban Drainage Solutions (SuDS) using offsite delivery for rapid, low-carbon deployment
• Supporting open, platform-based design systems to enable interoperability and industrialised building solutions

Building the Future – Together

BUILDOFFSITE views the New Towns agenda as a unique chance to showcase the very best of what the UK construction sector can achieve through innovation, collaboration and industrialisation.

“This isn’t just about more homes — it’s about better homes, built smarter. The next generation of new towns must be powered by MMC and offsite methods if they’re to be truly sustainable, scalable and fit for the future.”

Read the BUILDOFFSITE Manifesto 2025–2030

Explore the WPI Strategy Report
https://www.wpi-strategy.com/new-towns-report