The Government’s decision to approve four eco towns at locations where infrastructure already exists has been welcomed by campaign groups.
Housing minister, John Healey, announced the first wave of eco towns last week, and remains committed to delivering a total of 10 sites by 2020.
The approved locations are Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell (China Clay) in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk, and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire.
Healey said the four sites had passed the Government’s ‘tough standards’ to go through to the next planning phase, full public consultation and local planning approval.
The developers in the four successful locations will be able to bid for a share of £60M to support local infrastructure. Healey said he wanted to see at least six second wave areas, and is making up to £5M available for councils to conduct further planning work on proposals.
Many eco town proposals have been dogged by controversy since their conception, with doubts cast over planning legality and sustainability. Originally 16 potential proposals were drawn up, but a number of plans have since been shelved.
Healey said: ‘Despite the recession, I am giving the green light today to the first four pioneering proposals and making the offer to work with and help fund six more. ‘The standards are high, but I am confident of wider interest from developers and councils.’
The Government said the four projects linked well into existing development and were not isolated locations in the middle of the countryside.
Stephen Joseph, executive director for the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘We were pleased to see that our call for the eco town principles to be extended to “eco quarters” within existing towns seems to have been heeded, and the most unpopular locations have been rejected.
‘New developments within existing urban areas will often be easier to serve by public transport than stand-alone eco towns, and eco quarters could also set a wider example to be followed.’
Under the eco town planning policy statement (PPS), all homes must be located within 10 minutes’ walk of frequent public transport, and a minimum of one job per house must be within reach by walking, cycling or public transport.
Forty per cent of the area within the town will be green space, at least half of which should be open to the public as parks or recreation areas.
Kate Gordon, Campaign to Protect Rural England’s senior planning officer said: ‘From a list of deeply-worrying and unsustainable locations, the Government has chosen to go with the least damaging. We welcome the news that schemes such as Ford, West Sussex, Pennbury, Leicestershire and Weston Otmoor have been dropped.’
Rossington, Doncaster, and Northeast Elsenham in Essex, are still developing proposals
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