Independent panel set up by government and chaired by Michael Lyons issues call for evidenceThe New Towns Taskforce is seeking views on potential locations for new settlements of more than 10,000 homes.Homes being built for Ebbsfleet Garden City, one of the more recent new towns in the UKThe independent panel, chaired by Sir Michael Lyons (see box below), was set up by the government to advise ministers on appropriate locations for significant new communities, including large-scale urban extension and regeneration schemes.In a call for evidence issued this week, the taskforce said it is looking for proposals for large developments. A core part of the Taskforces work will be to consider how to fund and deliver new settlements and it will deliver a shortlist of recommended schemes to ministers by next July.It said: The taskforce is interested in proposals that are regionally significant for both housing numbers and economic growth.The unifying principle will be that each of the new settlements will contain 10,000 homes, at the very least, and that most, if not all, will be far larger in size. We are aiming for a gold standard of 40% affordable housing.The taskforce is asking for submissions of up to 1,000 words on each potential development, answering a number of questions about the location and proposed scheme, how it meets the taskforces remit and what the barriers are to delivery.The call for evidence will be open until 13 December.New Towns Taskforce MembersSir Michael Lyons (Chair)Dame Kate Barker (Deputy Chair)Bill HughesDame Diane CoyleEamonn BoylanHelen GordonKate HendersonNick RaynsfordSowmya ParthasarathyDr Wei Yang