New town celebrates 80th anniversary in style

Crowds gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of England's first new town.

Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, was designated a new town on 11 November 1946 under that year's New Towns Act.

The act allowed the government to designate areas for development to relieve overcrowding in London and provide homes for servicemen returning from World War Two and their families.

The popular "Stevenage Day", held this year on the King George V Playing Fields, is estimated to attract about 30,000 people each year - about one third of the town's population.

It was the UK's first New Town, devised as a radical solution to London's post-war housing crisis - others included in the first wave were Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead and and Harlow.

The minister for town and country planning in the post-war Labour government saw new towns as the solution to the UK's housing crisis after the big cities had been bombed.

And so, Stevenage new town was born from what was once a farming town of about 6,000 people.

The first "new town pioneers" moved into their houses in the early 1950s.

Decades later, Stevenage Day is said to be the largest free event in the county and the council said much more was planned this year to celebrate its 80th birthday.

Kobby and Rose Manyo-Plange and their children attended on Sunday and said the day was a go-to event as it was "so friendly".

Dad Kobby said it was good to see "all the familiar faces... it's great."

Lloyd Briscoe, the town's mayor, said it was "especially special" to mark the 80th anniversary.

"The vibe is spectacular... it's always a special day on Stevenage Day," he said.

"It's a big day in the calendar for the town and there are lots of smiling faces."

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