COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (084) issued by The Government News Network
on 3 April 2008
The country's
first eco-towns took a step closer to becoming reality today as
Housing Minister Caroline Flint today announced 15 potential
locations will go forward to the next stage, providing the
opportunity for a major boost in affordable housing across the
country whilst tackling climate change.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:
"We have a major shortfall of housing and with so many
buyers struggling to find suitable homes, more affordable housing
is a huge priority. To face up to the threat of climate change, we
must also cut the carbon emissions from our housing. Eco-towns
will help solve both of these challenges.
"Building in existing towns and cities alone simply cannot
provide enough new homes. I understand this is an issue that can
raise strong opinions, but everyone now has the opportunity to
express their views before any decisions are made - because this
is an issue that affects us all."
Based on an evaluation of the bids, the Government can today
announce no new homes would be built on Green Belt land. In
addition more than 30% of the overall new houses will be
affordable housing, delivering tens of thousands more homes for
those on lower incomes.
Publication of the shortlisted locations also reveals that they
make significant use of previously developed brownfield land
including former MoD land, military depots, disused airfields and
former mining pits and industrial sites. The shortlisted locations
address regional priorities such as a severe shortage of suitable
housing (such as Elsenham and Ford) or the regeneration of former
industrial areas (Marston Vale and New Marston).
More than 40 proposals have not been taken forward for being
undeliverable or not ambitious enough to meet the high
environmental and affordability standards set by Government.
To ensure the final eco-towns incorporate the best and most
innovative proposals for sustainable living, Caroline Flint has
also announced she intends to form a panel of experts who will
work with developers to improve their plans. To be formed of
leading figures from the fields of climate change and
sustainability, energy, planning, transport, and business, the
Eco-town Challenge will provide expert advice to bidders and
challenge them to deliver the most sustainable developments possible.
Caroline said:
"Some really innovative green ideas have been proposed -
from free public transport for all residents to using the waste
heat from nearby power stations to heat homes and businesses. But
today I am setting the bar high and challenging bidders to go further.
"I have already rejected more than 40 proposals and those
promoting eco town schemes cannot rest on their laurels. That is
why I want a panel of experts challenging developers to meet the
highest standards possible for sustainability, affordability and creativity."
Today's announcement of the shortlist of potential locations
is only the first stage and they will now be consulted on with the
public, local authorities and wider stakeholders. Bidders who have
cleared the first hurdle will face considerably tougher tests
ahead if they want to become eco-towns and will need to improve
proposals still further.
Shortlisted locations now face further challenges including
public consultation and a detailed Sustainability Appraisal which
will assess the merits and challenges for each one.
The final schemes being promoted will have to reach zero carbon
standards by promoting leading edge green technologies, provide
high levels of affordable housing, demonstrate how they will
deliver key infrastructure such as good public transport, schools
and health facilities and safeguard local wildlife.
Eco-towns will be the first new towns since the 1960s and will
tackle the combined challenges of climate change, the need for
more sustainable living and a real shortage of housing for
families and first-time buyers. The Government has said it wants
to build five eco-towns by 2016 and up to ten by 2020 as part of
ambitious plans to build 3 million homes by 2020.
With new communities being designed from scratch, eco-towns will
also present an excellent opportunity to incorporate the best
standards and latest developments in public services at the very
heart of these new communities.
We will now consult widely for three months to get preliminary
views on the benefits of eco-towns and these shortlisted
locations, the first of four key stages to becoming an eco-town. A
final shortlist of locations will be published later this year,
after which each potential eco-town will need to submit a planning application.
Notes to Editors
1. 57 initial proposals were received from local authorities and
developers across the country. The 15 shortlisted locations are:
- Pennbury, Leicestershire: 12-15,000 homes on a development
incorporating brownfield, greenfield and surplus public sector
land. Four miles south east of Leicester. This proposal could
include 4,000 new affordable houses in an area of high
affordability pressure.
- Manby and Strubby, Lincolnshire: 5,000 homes put forward by
East Lindsey District Council on two sites, with large elements of
brownfield land including a former RAF base. The proposal
complements the strategic plan for the phased relocation of
communities on Lincolnshire coast because of high flood risk, and
could include 1,500 affordable homes in an area of very high
affordability pressure.
- Curborough, Staffordshire: 5,000 homes on the brownfield site
of the former Fradley airfield, ten miles from Burton. The
proposal could include 2,000 affordable houses in an area of very
high affordability pressure.
- Middle Quinton, Warwickshire: 6,000 homes on a former Royal
Engineers depot which has a rail link to the Worcester-London rail
line. Six miles South West of Stratford upon Avon. The proposal
could include 2,000 affordable houses in an area of very high
affordability pressure.
- Bordon-Whitehill, Hampshire: 5-8,000 homes on a site owned by
the Ministry of Defence. A significant number of ex-MoD homes are
already on the site, west of Whitehill-Bordon. The proposal could
include 2,000 affordable houses in an area of very high
affordability pressure.
- Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire: 10-15,000 homes on a site adjoining
the M40 and the Oxford-Bicester railway. Three miles south west of
Bicester, the site includes a current airstrip. The scheme could
include between 3,000 and 5,000 affordable homes, in an area of
extreme affordability pressure.
- Ford, West Sussex: 5,000 homes on a site which includes
brownfield land and the former Ford airfield. Close to rail line
linking London and the Sussex coast. The scheme could include
1,500 affordable homes, in an area of very high affordability pressure.
- Imerys China Clay Community, Cornwall: Development of around
5,000 homes on former china clay workings, industrial land and
disused mining pits no longer needed by owner Imerys. Close to St
Austell. The scheme could include 1,500 affordable homes, in an
area of extreme affordability pressure.
- Rossington, South Yorkshire: Up to 15,000 homes regenerating
the former colliery village of Rossington, three miles south of
Doncaster. The scheme could include 1,500 affordable homes, in an
area of moderate affordability pressure.
- Coltishall, Norfolk: 5,000 homes on a former RAF airfield,
eight miles north of Norwich. The scheme could include 2,000
affordable homes in an area of very high affordability pressure.
- Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire: 8,000 homes on land adjacent to
the A11 designed to improve the severe lack of housing in and
around Cambridge. The scheme could include 3,000 affordable homes
in an area of extreme affordability pressure.
- Marston Vale and New Marston, Bedfordshire: Up to 15,400 homes
on a series of sites, including former industrial sites, along the
east-west rail line to Stewartby and Millbrook. The scheme could
include 2,000 affordable homes in an area of high affordability pressure.
- Elsenham, Essex: A minimum of 5,000 homes north east of the
existing Elsenham village. Close to M11 and the London to
Cambridge rail line. The scheme could include 1,800 affordable
homes in an area of extreme affordability pressure.
- Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire: An eco-town proposal was submitted
for Kingston-on-Soar, to the south of Nottingham. In response to
representations from Rushcliffe Borough Council, this site is not
to be pursued. However, the Government is proposing to carry out a
further review in partnership with RBC to consider whether there
is a suitable alternative location with the potential to be viable
within the Rushcliffe local authority area.
- Leeds City Region, Yorkshire: A number of eco-town proposals
were submitted for locations within the area of Leeds City Region
partnership of 11 authorities and principally between Leeds and
Selby. The Leeds City Region Partnership has indicated support in
principle for an eco-town within the sub-region. The Partnership
has proposed a further study to compare the best alternative
locations across the Leeds City Region partnership area. The
Government has agreed to support this approach, on the basis that
it will allow a further announcement to be made shortly of one or
more sites for consultation
Contact details for the developers of these sites and information
on the locations that are not going forward are available on http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/
2. Download the Eco Towns consultation paper from the Communities
and Local Government
website:
http://haveyoursay.communities.gov.uk/files/folders/communitiesgovuk/entry352.aspx
This
consultation is the first of four key stages in the eco-towns process.
Stage One: Three month consultation on preliminary views on
eco-town benefits and these shortlisted locations;
Stage Two: Further consultation this summer on a Sustainability
Appraisal, which provides a more detailed assessment of these
locations, and a draft Planning Policy Statement.
Stage Three: A decision on the final list of locations with the
potential to be an eco-town and the publication of a final
Planning Policy Statement, later this year.
Stage Four: Like any other proposed development, individual
schemes in these locations will need to submit planning
applications which will be decided on the merits of the proposal.
3. The key criteria for eco-towns were set out in the Eco-towns
Prospectus published in July last year:
(i) Eco-towns must be new settlements, separate and distinct from
existing towns but well linked to them. They need to be additional
to existing plans, with a minimum target of 5,000-10,000 homes;
(ii) The development as a whole should reach zero carbon
standards, and each town should be an exemplar in at least one
area of environmental sustainability;
(iii) Eco-town proposals should provide for a good range of
facilities within the town - a secondary school, a medium scale
retail centre, good quality business space and leisure facilities;
(iv) Affordable housing should make up between 30 and 50 per cent
of the total through a wide range and distribution of tenures in
mixed communities, with a particular emphasis on larger family homes;
(v) A management body which will help develop the town, provide
support for people moving to the new community, for businesses and
to co-ordinate delivery of services and manage facilities.
The Eco-Towns Prospectus can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/ecotowns
4. The Eco-towns Challenge will be a panel of experts to provide
advice to bidders to help raise the level of environmental
ambition in schemes. The panel will assess, challenge and advise
schemes on their environmental proposals and their effectiveness.
5. The Housing Green Paper made it clear that the housing numbers
in existing and in some cases emerging plans were not high enough
to address the pressing problem of long term housing
affordability. We are therefore aiming to complete a further set
of Regional Spatial Strategy partial reviews by 2011 that will
include housing numbers for local planning authorities that are
consistent with our national aim to deliver 240,000 homes per year
by 2016. We expect eco towns to contribute significantly to help
to meet that target for additional housing and we want to assure
local authorities which include an eco-town in their future
housing plans that it will, of course, count towards their future
housing targets, consistent with our national figure of 240,000
homes per year by 2016. Some authorities are already taking
forward development plans which go a long way towards this level
and in these areas an authority will be able to count an
appropriate proportion of the eco-town towards its local plan target.
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom