The International Garden Cities Institute – which seeks to promote a better understanding of modern Garden City Principles and assist in advocating Garden Cities as part of the solution to growth – published its first in a series of research papers in June 2016, entitled Garden Cities – Why Not?. As a reflection of the institute’s relative fledgling existence (it was only established last year) or perhaps, conversely, in reflection of the potential apathy reached by the long-standing yet still un-resolved Garden City debate, there has been limited discussion of the paper by the industry.

The paper looks to formulate some sort of answer to the conundrum that: despite the widespread acceptance of the Garden City movement as a good idea, Garden Cities are still not being created – indeed, Labour’s Eco-towns (a model akin to that of the Garden City idea) of the 00’s were deemed a political failure even before the economic downturn thwarted delivery efforts, with North West Bicester, Oxfordshire, the only one due to be built under the originally proposed standards of sustainable development.

Despite a shaky past, the Garden Cities movement is once again back on the national agenda, with the Department for Communities and Local Government (under David Cameron’s administration) publishing Locally-led garden villages, towns and cities in March 2016. A prospectus which invited expressions of interest for new ‘garden villages’ (between 1,500 and 10,000 homes) and ‘new garden towns and cities’ (10,000 homes and over). Additionally, recent initiatives including Ebbsfleet in Kent, Bicester in Oxfordshire (above), Northstowe in Cambridgeshire and Chapelton of Elsick in Aberdeenshire – all exhibiting principles associated with Garden City development – have been somewhat welcomed by communities and politicians alike.

A primary suggestion by the Institute, as to how to build on this national re-awakening to the Garden City idea, is to undertake a national Green Belt review in order to create a “rational basis for locational decisions about new development including garden cities, garden towns and garden villages.” Rightly, the paper flags the Green Belt as a crucial substructure upon which the wider debate of housing delivery and national growth rests. This approach by the Institute underscores the quietly growing Council level realisation that (at least some) Green Belt land needs to be de-designated in order to allow for much-needed residential development.

Interestingly, the paper also flags the potential of the recently formed National Infrastructure Commission (established in 2015) in supporting Garden Cities to meet housing need. The Institute believes that the Garden City principle should form part of the remit of the Commission, a belief backed up by the Commission’s recent call for evidence on the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs (inclusive of connectivity, transport and energy supply) the Institute argues that Garden City locations should also be considered an infrastructure challenge.

In brief, the paper underlines the necessity for a UK National Plan, one which will tie together the country’s multiple infrastructure needs and be capable of delivering them to the greatest of benefit. Akin to the potential that improved northern connectivity, airport expansion and opportunity growth area delivery has in bolstering the country’s economy, Garden Cities may have the ability to aid in satisfying the necessary expansion of the quality and quantity of the UK’s housing stock.