Special report: Eco-town concept gathers ground

The Government is due to publish its shortlist of eco-town schemes for consultation shortly, following a cross-Government review.

The expectation is that ten such new settlements will be developed, across the English regions.

The initiative has its immediate roots in the Government's drive for 3m new homes over the next couple of decades. The idea also chimes with the new green agenda and the need to make big cuts in carbon emissions to meet the challenge of climate change. The schemes will be expected to be exemplars of low and zero carbon development.

Originally ministers had proposed a programme of five eco-towns but such was the interest in the concept that the prime minister decided last year to double the number. Gordon Brown announced that move during last year's Labour Party Conference.

Nearly 60 bids have been registered with the Government and have been assessed against the criteria set out in the administration's Eco-Towns Prospectus. These include transport, land use and the infrastructure needed to make the development deliverable and sustainable.

Housing minister Iain Wright told Parliament recently that this exercise, which has involved Government departments, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Regional Assemblies and development agencies, would exclude sites "where there are too many showstoppers to allow development to take place".

The initiative has not been without controversy. In a number of areas protest groups have been set up. MPs and some council leaders have asked the Government to drop particular projects.

From the outset of this initiative ministers have insisted that the schemes must be suitable in environmental, social and economic terms.

Ministers have stressed: "We have an ageing, growing population with more people living alone, and rising housing demand is outstripping new supply. To help families across the country find affordable, quality housing we need to build far more houses.

"But we also need new measures to protect the environment. At the beginning of the 21st Century our greatest environmental challenge is from climate change. As housing accounts for 27 per cent of carbon emissions, we need to substantially cut emissions from new homes and work towards zero carbon housing and development.

"We need to learn the lessons too from both the successes and the mistakes of previous generations. New developments need to be of the highest design standards as well as the highest environmental standards. Homes need to be built in truly mixed communities with strong economic underpinnings to support jobs and sustainable growth."

Just how many of the bids will satisfy the initial sieve remains to be seen. The basic requirements are clear cut.

Eco-towns will be small new towns of between 5,000 and 20,000 homes. They are intended to exploit the potential to create a complete new settlement to achieve zero carbon development and more sustainable living using the best new design and architecture.

This must translate into places with a separate and distinct identity but good links to surrounding towns and cities in terms of jobs, transport and services.

The development as a whole must achieve zero carbon and to be an exemplar in at least one area of environment technology.

The settlement must provide a good range of facilities within the town including a secondary school, shopping, business space and leisure.

Critically, the eco-town must have between 30 and 50 per cent affordable housing with a good mix of tenures and size of homes in mixed communities.

And, crucially, the settlement must have a delivery organisation to manage the town and its development and provide support for people, businesses and community services.

Ministers have insisted that the eco-towns will be subject to widespread local consultation and will need to acknowledge the new development plan system.

Further clarity in this area is expected shortly. What is crystal clear is that the idea has already developed a head of steam and incredible enthusiasm in many quarters.

That should come as no surprise. It seems entirely fitting that the nation which pioneered garden cities should embrace eco-towns 100-years later.

Other related Planning Portal News documents:

Applications lodged for pioneering eco-town - 10 January 2008

Eco-towns statement due soon as MPs voice concerns - 7 February 2008