The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word NEW TOWNS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
E
W
T
O
W
N
S
More clues leading to the result NEW TOWNS
- Force units beset with housing projects
- Wiveswent on about comparatively recent settlements
- Settlements for surplus Apple scientist accepting work on Sunday
- Scientist’s going around western communities established quite recently
- Reports about capital of Turkey now developing self-sufficient living spaces
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "comparatively recent settlements" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case comparatively recent settlements = new towns.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.