Rachel Reeves sparks housing speculation in Aylesbury Vale with East West Rail update

She delivered her key economic growth speech to business leaders on Wednesday (29 January) and championed the multi-million pound rail scheme.

Ms Reeves said: “East West Rail will also support vibrant new and expanded communities along the route. We have already received proposals for new towns along the new railway with 18 submissions for sizeable new developments.”

Stations included in the new rail network, which is set to start transporting passengers later this year, are nearby Milton Keynes and Winslow.

Previously the new Government announced its new town scheme as a key way it would look to address the countrywide housing crisis.

Teams have been set up to discover suitable areas in the country, where over 10,000 homes could be built in close proximity to each other, to create new communities.

With Winslow receiving a new train station as part of the East West Rail project many Buckinghamshire-based politicians have believed it would be one of the sites targeted for expansion. Although, there have been rumours that other villages in north Buckinghamshire could be earmarked for the scheme, such as Calvert.

While members of the committees nominating new towns for the Government have started meeting and began work on the project, final shortlists will not be submitted until next summer.

One of the new Government’s main policies is building a substantial amount of new homes throughout the UK in areas where it was previously forbidden. Its new ‘grey belt’ policy was also announced soon after the Labour Party came to power. Under the policy the Government will authorise construction of new buildings in areas listed as ‘Green Belt’ that have protected status, but potentially do not warrant it, such as car parks and waste land.

Labour believes creating new towns across the country will boost economic growth and provide more people with opportunities to enter the housing market. Locally, concerns have been raised by councillors regarding how little is known about these potentially transformative housing projects.

Previously, the leader of the Conservative-controlled Bucks Council, Councillor Martin Tett has predicted there will be a 42% increase in housing over the next five years.