Encouraging and significant progress has been made in the proposals for eco towns, but transport plans need to be further developed, according to the latest report by the Eco Town Challenge Panel.
Proposals for 10 potential eco towns have been largely praised in the independent report, marking progress since the panel’s first round report in June, which called for better public transport provisions and more ambition and innovation (Surveyor, 26 June 2008).
Now it says issues such as how transport links will be forged need to be examined in more depth. The transport strategy for the proposed development in Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire, is described as ‘confusing’ and seen to ‘not meet the targets for an eco town’.
The failure to respond to the panel’s proposal for a dedicated southern busway and bicycle links have also raised doubts, as the emphasis on Whittlesford Parkway Station could see Hanley Grange ‘becoming a dormitory town for London commuters’, the report states.
The Marston Vale proposal, in Bedfordshire, is criticised for its ‘unclear’ proposals for bus rapid transit. The technology which will be used needs to be clarified and carbon savings throughout the proposed bus transit system, including sections outside the eco town, need to be demonstrated.
The report notes that if the Arundel bypass goes ahead independently of the proposed eco town in Ford, West Sussex, the scheme will change the proportion of Ford’s residents likely to commute and ‘undermine any attempt’ to make the development zero carbon.
The transport strategy for the proposed site in Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire, is praised for being ‘innovative’ but there are fears that plans for a new, long-distance commuter rail service could ‘compromise sustainability.’ Planners working on the Middle Quinton, Warwickshire, proposals are advised to ‘expose potential conflicts of relying on car revenue to help pay for long-term funding of public transport’ as there still seems to be a presumption households will own cars.
Meanwhile, the panel was ‘impressed with the changes and progress’ of the Rossington proposal (Surveyor, 24 July 2008). ‘The reduction in scale, coupled with the new emphasis on an eco-borough, has strengthened the proposal,’ it concluded.
Housing minister, Caroline Flint, reaffirmed ‘there are no done deals and only the best-quality schemes with high sustainability standards will qualify for eco town status’.
Click here to read the latest report of the Eco Town Challenge Panel
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