London overspill communities are the communities created as a result of the government policy of moving residents out of Greater London into other areas in the South East of England between the 1930s and the 1970s. The policy was extended to relocate residents to several towns in the East Midlands, mostly Northamptonshire, situated near the M1 motorway and A1 trunk road. The policy even extended to the North West of England, with the town of Burnley in Lancashire, more than 200 miles from London, even being designated as a London overspill town.
These largely consisted of council houses and new towns.
The policy was initiated in the 1930s, and started in earnest after the Second World War, as a reaction to the housing shortages caused by enemy bombing and large amounts of substandard housing in the capital. This policy existed until the late 1970s, reinforced by a widespread dislike of ribbon development. Started by the London County Council, the task was completed by its successor, the Greater London Council. In the 1960s, the Location of Offices Bureau dispersed office workers away from the capital.[1]
In 1960, the Greater London Plan proposed that over one million Londoners should be relocated from Inner London. The great majority of overspill families were relocated either to existing or new towns within south east England. As a short term expedient, viewed as regrettable, to meet an urgent need, "quasi-satellites" were created around the edge of Greater London, or close by, at South Oxhey, Debden and Harold Hill.[2]
In 1973, the following towns were listed, in Hansard,[3] as London overspill:
| Town | Status | Anticipated numbers (1973-1979) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | South East | ||
| Ashford | South East | ||
| Aylesbury | South East | ||
| Banbury | South East | ||
| Basildon | South East | 16,000 | |
| Basingstoke | South East | ||
| Bletchley | South East | ||
| Bracknell | South East | 12,000 | |
| Braintree | South East | ||
| Crawley | South East | 8,000 | |
| Farnborough | South East | ||
| Harlow | South East | 5,000 | |
| Hastings | South East | ||
| Hatfield | South East | 1,000 | |
| Hemel Hempstead | South East | 4,000 | |
| Houghton Regis | South East | ||
| Letchworth | South East | ||
| Milton Keynes | South East | 69,000 | |
| Sandy | South East | ||
| Stevenage | South East | 4,000 | |
| Welwyn Garden City | South East | 2,000 | |
| Witham | South East | ||
| Bury St Edmunds | East Anglia | ||
| Haverhill | East Anglia | ||
| Huntingdon | East Anglia | ||
| King's Lynn | East Anglia | ||
| Long Melford | East Anglia | ||
| Mildenhall | East Anglia | ||
| Peterborough | East Anglia | 47,000 | |
| St Neots | East Anglia | ||
| Sudbury | East Anglia | ||
| Thetford | East Anglia | ||
| Bodmin | South West | ||
| Plymouth | South West | ||
| Swindon | South West | ||
| Corby | East Midlands | 8,000 | |
| Grantham | East Midlands | ||
| Northampton | East Midlands | 55,000 | |
| Wellingborough | East Midlands | 10,000 | |
| Gainsborough | East Midlands | ||
| Burnley | North West | ||