COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (201) issued by The Government News Network
on 30 October 2007
Housing and
Planning Minister Yvette Cooper today confirmed that an ideas
competition would be run to develop and set the design standards
for ten new eco-towns. She wants to engage the leading creative
thinkers on architecture, urban and landscape design and transport
planning on proposals for the new developments of up to 20,000 homes.
The Government's adviser on architecture and urban design
CABE, with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, will
assist the Government in the competition and establish a judging
panel to assess the entries. The competition will focus both on
the practical design ideas and the design and development process.
A prize will be made available for the overall winner of the
competition, as well as awards for specialist areas.
There will also be an opportunity for public involvement to judge
eco-towns designs through a citizens' panel. At the end of
the competition, the best of the ideas and lessons learned will be
drawn together in an exhibition and eco-towns
"compendium", which will help inform the thinking of
local authorities and developers taking forward eco-town proposals.
Yvette Cooper said:
"We need to deliver the best eco-towns for the sake of the
planet and the next generation. However, we don't want each
town to be the same, but to instead reflect the history,
aspirations and character of each local area. This is why it is
crucial that we involve local people and citizen juries are a
great way of doing just that."
The aims of the competition are to gather ideas:
* from the best national and international thinkers in the fields
of town planning, urban design, architecture, landscape design,
transport and environmental planning;
* on what an eco-town could and should try to achieve, and how
the design and development process can support positive outcomes;
* on the key design features that should be considered when
designing an eco-town, eg regional and local identity;
* on the design layout of eco-towns and how they tie in with
existing transport links and the natural landscape; and
* on housing layouts and sustainability features.
Responding to the outline for the competition, CABE, RIBA and The
Prince's Foundation said:
"The design of the ten eco-towns will present new challenges
to local authorities, developers and designers. This international
competition will ensure that the best new thinking on how to
create exemplary sustainable towns will feed directly into the
real projects that follow. Together CABE, the RIBA and The
Prince's Foundation have the expertise to think at all the
spatial scales required to create a successful eco-town, from the
scale of the settlement and its place in the landscape and
transport infrastructure, to the layout of neighbourhoods and the
architecture of individual houses and streets. CABE, the RIBA and
The Prince's Foundation look forward to seeing the best
thinkers and designers bring their creative ideas and solutions to
the challenge of creating eco-towns."
Notes to Editors
1. Yvette Cooper announced plans for five eco-towns in March and
published the Eco-towns Prospectus as part of the Housing Green
Paper on 23 July. The Prime Minister announced on 24 September
that the number would be doubled to ten. In total, eco-towns could
provide 200,000 additional homes by 2020 to help increase housing
supply and tackle affordability as set out in the Housing Green Paper.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/ecotownsprospectus
2. The Housing Green Paper set out the new target of delivering
240,000 homes a year by 2016 to achieve a total of three million
homes by 2020. These will be delivered through existing Regional
Spatial Strategies and Local Area Plans.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homesforfuture
3. Expressions of interest by councils and developers for
eco-towns should be made by the end of October. The Government
expects to announce schemes which will be supported through the
planning process in the first half of 2008.
4. The Government's vision for eco-towns:
* well-designed, attractive places to live, with jobs and
services, but also with good links to existing nearby towns and cities;
* large-scale free-standing new settlements;
* exemplars of sustainable building and living, with the
opportunity to design low- and zero-carbon technology from the
start; and
* each of the new towns, which will be based across the country,
should have its own strong identity reflecting local character and appeal.
5. Eco-towns will provide a major contribution to housing supply
and increasing affordability, with affordable housing making up
between 30 to 50 per cent of the housing.
6. CABE is the Government's advisor on architecture, urban
design and public space. As a public body, they encourage
policymakers to create places that work for people. They help
local planners apply national design policy and offer expert
advice to developers and architects. They show public sector
clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their
users. And they seek to inspire the public to demand more from
their buildings and spaces.
http://www.cabe.org.uk
7. The Royal Institute of British Architects is the UK body for
architecture and the architectural profession. They provide
support for their 40,500 members worldwide in the form of
training, technical services, publications and events, and set
standards for the education of architects, both in the UK and overseas.
http://www.architecture.com
8. The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment is an
educational charity which seeks to improve the quality of
people's lives by teaching and practicing timeless and
ecological ways of planning, designing and building.
http://www.princes-foundation.org
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 4400;
Email:
press.office@communities.gsi.gov.uk
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk