27 June 2008
Developers hoping to build up to ten eco-towns across England have been told by government advisers to come up with better plans.
According to a panel of 15 experts, appointed by the Department for Communities and Local Government in April to review its short list of schemes, many proposals need to be far more imaginative.
Some bidders need to review their transport and energy strategies while others must be clearer about how they will generate jobs for residents, says the panel's report, published on June 23.
The panel studied 13 proposals with identified sites. Talks are continuing over where to locate two other short-listed schemes, including one near Selby, Yorkshire, which was recently rejected by council leaders.
The eco-element of one scheme at Curborough, in Staffordshire, was described by the panel as merely an 'add-on' to an existing planning application. 'It may be a good development by normal standards but it is not yet an eco-town,' says the report.
A proposed eco-town at New Marston, near Bedford, was accused of looking like 'a typical commercial scheme', while developers behind a bid at Weston Otmoor, near Oxford, were asked how they would prevent the town becoming 'commuterville' with excessive car use.
John Walker, former chief executive of the British Urban Regeneration Association and chair of the panel, said the bids were generally 'work in progress', but it was important that they tackled transport and environmental issues quickly.
While it was not the role of the panel to help developers overcome local objections, bidders that accepted its recommendations would be better-placed to show that eco-towns could bring benefits to the area. 'We are not there as a PR machine,' he told Public Finance. 'We want to up the quality of the proposals.'
Next month, the DCLG is due to publish a detailed appraisal of each bid – along with possible alternative locations. A final short list is expected in the autumn.
Housing minister Caroline Flint said it was up to developers to respond positively to the panel's comments. 'They need to be open to the creativity of these ideas,' she said. 'Some clearly need to up their game and the ball is now in their court.'
PFjun2008
