The Government has today given the green light for four eco-towns, despite strong opposition to the controversial plans.
Originally, Gordon Brown wanted 10 eco-towns to be created by 2020 but a number of protests and financial restraints have curtailed the plan. The towns selected for inclusion in the initiative are Rackheath in Norfolk, Whitehill Bordon in East Hampshire, North West Bicester in Oxfordshire and the China Clay Community scheme near St Austell, Cornwall. Each eco-town will be carbon neutral and must offer 30 percent affordable housing.
The plans have come in for strong criticism from people who oppose taking the planning process out of the scope of local authorities and the potential reduction in nearby countryside to make way for thousands of new homes.
Alongside the plans for eco-towns, housing minister John Healey announced tougher new energy standards for all new homes from 2016 to be zero carbon, and launched a review to combine the Government's climate change and renewable energy planning policy statements.
A spokesman for UK housing charity Shelter supported the eco-town announcement: “Eco-towns provide a genuine opportunity to deliver much needed new affordable homes that are environmentally sustainable, so we are pleased to see four key eco-towns have been given the green light.
“The lessons learnt from these pilot towns will not only help shape any further eco-towns, but all future housing development and could help change the way we build new homes and communities.
“It is now vital that these homes are delivered by building on existing engagement and support of the local community to ensure the right infrastructure is in place and that these new towns genuinely integrate into the wider community.”
Dr Paul Leinster, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, praised the sustainable standards of the proposed eco-towns. He said: “The development of eco-towns offers an opportunity to demonstrate how new communities can be built to the highest environmental standards. We would like to see the standards set for eco-towns used as guidelines for other housing developments. It is a real opportunity for homes and communities to be built that take account of climate change and have a low environmental impact.
“We have worked closely with Government in developing these standards to ensure eco-towns are not in areas of high flood risk, that they meet high water efficiency standards and deliver on ambitious targets for waste minimisation. We look forward to assisting Government deliver this agenda.”
Meanwhile, Arun District Council was delighted with the news that Ford would not be one of the chosen eco-towns. The council has campaigned against the town’s inclusion on the shortlist and the potential urbanisation of the nearby countryside.
District councillor Graham Tyler, who chaired a select committee to look into the plans, said: “We are delighted that common sense has prevailed and this site will not be progressed as a location through the initiative.
“The Government has listened to the people and put the planning process back where it should be, in the hands of the local planning authority. This reinforces the messages that came out of the select committee process last summer.”
For the chosen towns, work could be ongoing until as late as 2016 as planning permission, red tape and the global economic crisis have the potential to slow down construction.
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