Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Forest City: West Suffolk

23 June 2026 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk

HousingLocal GovernmentEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Nick Timothy raised concerns about forest city: west suffolk in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Nick Timothy raised concerns about the proposed Forest City development in West Suffolk, citing issues with land assembly and compulsory purchase.
  • The MP questioned the economic viability and infrastructure funding of the project, highlighting potential negative impacts on local communities and farmland.
  • Minister Matthew Pennycook acknowledged the concerns but stated it was not the Government's role to pass judgment on every development proposal.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk

Nick Timothy raised concerns about the proposed Forest City development, a plan to build a city of 1 million people between Newmarket and Haverhill in West Suffolk. He argued that the premise of the proposal was flawed, highlighting issues with land assembly, compulsory purchase, affordability mechanisms, infrastructure funding, water supply, and overall economic viability. The MP emphasised the potential negative impact on local communities, businesses, and farmland and questioned why the Government had not yet rejected the plan outright.

Other contributors (1)
  • Not specified in text

    A brief intervention noting that while there is a need to build more houses, schemes like Forest City must be proportionate for the areas they are proposed in.

Government Response

Matthew Pennycook

Minister Matthew Pennycook responded by acknowledging the concerns raised about the Forest City proposal. He stated that it was not the role of the Government to pass judgment on every development proposal, as such decisions are typically made at a local level based on site-specific merits. The Minister emphasised that there is no current plan for establishing a centrally-led urban development corporation for this speculative project and confirmed that neither he nor the Secretary of State have met with Forest City promoters. He also clarified that details of meetings between special advisers and external organisations are published online as required by guidance.

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