How an ambitious plan for a “forest city” in England could become a reality and a solution to the housing crisis

Wooden skyscrapers, “6G” networks, solar energy and small modular reactors. An environmentally focused project for one million people could get underway before the end of this decade, hopes the cross-party coalition behind the forest city proposal. “Britain needs millions of homes. We have a plan and a team to build them—east of Cambridge—as a beautiful and permanently affordable city,” the project’s authors claim.

In the next few years, construction could begin on a city built of wood, set in the middle of the largest new nature reserve created in England in decades, where four-bedroom homes would sell for £350,000—roughly 9.8 million CZK.

“Let us fight for a more ambitious vision… one that is independent of the central state, but also not constrained by the thinking of private developers, which itself lacks true vision. We need something that will set an example for the world and allow Britain once again to be synonymous with ambition, ingenuity, creativity and enterprise,” the project’s website states.

Zní to příliš dobře na to, aby to byla pravda, ale nadstranická koalice aktivistů se snaží prosadit lesní město pro milion lidí, výstavba by měla být zahájena ještě před koncem tohoto desetiletí. Byl by to první takový projekt v Anglii od 60. let, kdy vzniklo nové město Milton Keynes.

Shiv Malik, autor, investor a bývalý novinář Guardianu, přišel s tímto směle odvážným plánem. Poslední roky strávil psaním o tom, jakou nevýhodnou pozici mají mileniálové, pokud jde o bydlení a dluhy, a jak nesmírně obtížné je vybudovat si život tak, jak to dokázaly předchozí generace. Nyní se snaží své myšlenky proměnit ve skutečnost.

It sounds too good to be true, but a cross-party coalition of activists is trying to push through a forest city for one million people, with construction set to begin before the end of this decade. It would be the first project of its kind in England since the 1960s, when the new town of Milton Keynes was built.

The boldly ambitious plan was conceived by Shiv Malik, an author, investor and former Guardian journalist. In recent years, he has spent his time writing about the disadvantaged position millennials face when it comes to housing and debt, and about how extraordinarily difficult it has become to build a life comparable to that of previous generations. Now he is trying to turn those ideas into reality.

Support Across the Political Spectrum

“Nobody has ever done this before—building in a way that would deliver a huge net benefit for nature. We are trying to create natural infrastructure,” he said. He is in talks with the UK Ministry of Housing, and shortly after the forest city proposal was unveiled, the government announced its ambition to build a network of “forest cities” in the same area.

The Labour government is often criticised for pitting nature against housebuilding in its effort to deliver 1.5 million new homes nationwide and address the housing crisis. Its ministers are currently pushing through controversial legislation which environmental groups say threatens 5,000 protected natural sites.

More than 900 supporters of Forest City 1 span the entire political spectrum, from Green Party activists to figures from right-wing think tanks. Malik has also brought on board Paul Powlesland, an environmental activist and lawyer, to join the board of the Albion City Development Corporation, which is responsible for the proposal.

The city would be built east of Cambridge, with new rail connections, schools and hospitals. It would be managed by a community land trust—a community-led, non-profit organisation that serves residents rather than corporate profits. This would help keep homes affordable.

Visualisation of Forrest City 1

Safe, walkable neighbourhoods

Homes would be built to high environmental standards, using modular timber construction, in communities that are “traffic-calmed for pedestrians, in a human-scaled environment where children can play freely because the world has been designed with them in mind; safe, walkable neighbourhoods.” Instead of relying on cars, the planners hope to build a citywide tram network so people can use high-quality public transport. The project would include 12,000 acres of native woodland, largely new planting, linking together existing forest fragments.

If the developers are granted the powers of a development corporation—similar to those used in the construction of Milton Keynes, Canary Wharf or the infrastructure for the Olympic Games—it would help bring costs down by enabling large-scale building, while special legislation would reduce expenses associated with standard planning procedures.

There are many other challenges to overcome, most notably the fact that eastern England is one of the most water-stressed regions in the country. Malik says that alongside building the city, the developers would “restore chalk streams” and “construct water infrastructure,” such as much-needed reservoirs. “There is enough money in this project to fix water problems in eastern England—for people living in the city and in the surrounding areas,” he said.

The proposal envisages building primarily on intensively farmed land, which Malik argues is often sterile due to routine treatment with fertilisers and pesticides and is almost devoid of life.

These fields could be replaced with much-needed homes while also creating new habitats for wildlife, allowing people to live closer to nature. Numerous studies have found that many urban residents live in “nature deserts,” where green spaces are inaccessible, even though the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in parks, forests or at the seaside are well documented.

Building without harm

Powlesland said: “I think the question is whether we can build what people need for a healthy, happy society without damaging nature—or ideally while restoring it. That is the question of the 21st century, and it seems that nobody is answering it.”

The proposed site includes areas already designated for rare wildlife or habitats—Sites of Special Scientific Interest—but Malik’s idea is to build around them and preserve existing ancient woodlands as internal ‘corridors’ within the city, while planting additional trees to link everything together. “People think we want to cut all those trees down, but no—it’s a forest city,” Malik said. “Instead of parks, we’re simply saying we’d rather have forests. You can’t call yourself a forest city just because it sounds nice.”

The city should serve people, not cars

Powlesland also wants to explore whether it’s possible to build differently, for example by respecting existing river flows and preserving current trees: “If this were just another ordinary housing estate—a concrete city surrounded by a nature reserve—I wouldn’t support it. I think there’s an opportunity to do things differently, using technology, imagination, and smart design to create a city where there’s more nature and people at the same time. It could be amazing… imagine a city that is essentially a nature reserve, where people live within a nature reserve.”

Some farmers would need to be persuaded to sell their land, but Malik stated that thanks to rising land values, everyone would be fairly compensated.

Solving specific problems

Some environmentalists wondered why an activist like Powlesland would join the project. He said it’s important for someone in the project to represent nature: “My role is basically to speak for the interests of nature as best I can. It’s extremely important that nature has a voice in the planning system. Because currently, it doesn’t, and those who typically represent it are labeled as ‘NIMBYs.’ Sometimes they genuinely care about nature, and sometimes they use concerns about nature to block any change.”

Malik adds: “This is not about ‘building a city.’ It’s about solving very concrete problems in Britain—housing, infrastructure, growth—which we believe are best addressed through building a city.”

He will now seek parliamentary approval for a development corporation called the Albion City Development Corporation (ACDC). These organizations are created by the government to oversee large projects and have authority over compulsory purchases and planning decisions.

Malik says that the “silent majority” of people around 45 years old and younger “desperately seeks viable solutions to their very real problems. It’s not just about Palestine or trans rights. It’s about paying rent and building a family. These people didn’t have political representation. They certainly weren’t being offered ambitious ideas. Once you do that, it’s astonishing how much support emerges.”

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