By Neil Merrick
11 March 2010
Two further councils have put forward plans to build eco-towns, bringing the total of local authority bids to 11.
East Devon and Fareham councils proposed new settlements on the outskirts of Exeter and Fareham, under the second round of the scheme.
Ministers want ten eco-towns built or under way by 2020. Four sites were confirmed last July and, in December, nine more authorities or groups of councils submitted bids covering 14 locations. In some areas, as many as four different sites are being considered.
Councils will receive up to £1.5m each, from a pot totalling £10m, to develop proposals and draw up masterplans. The first four eco-town sites, where plans are more advanced, are at North West Bicester in Oxfordshire; Rackheath, Norfolk; St Austell, Cornwall; and Whitehill-Bordon, Hampshire.
The latest two potential eco-towns were confirmed on March 9, as housing
minister John Healey announced he was updating planning regulations to tackle climate change. In a draft policy statement, he said almost £10m would be offered to councils wishing to be ‘green champions’ in planning. House builders would also have to show that developments used sustainable energy. ‘This signals real and radical momentum to change and to rethink how we design our towns and homes for the future,’ said Healey.
UK Green Building Council chief executive Paul King said the statement showed that councils were ideally placed to help achieve zero-carbon targets through the planning system.
11 March 2010
Two further councils have put forward plans to build eco-towns, bringing the total of local authority bids to 11.
East Devon and Fareham councils proposed new settlements on the outskirts of Exeter and Fareham, under the second round of the scheme.
Ministers want ten eco-towns built or under way by 2020. Four sites were confirmed last July and, in December, nine more authorities or groups of councils submitted bids covering 14 locations. In some areas, as many as four different sites are being considered.
Councils will receive up to £1.5m each, from a pot totalling £10m, to develop proposals and draw up masterplans. The first four eco-town sites, where plans are more advanced, are at North West Bicester in Oxfordshire; Rackheath, Norfolk; St Austell, Cornwall; and Whitehill-Bordon, Hampshire.
The latest two potential eco-towns were confirmed on March 9, as housing
minister John Healey announced he was updating planning regulations to tackle climate change. In a draft policy statement, he said almost £10m would be offered to councils wishing to be ‘green champions’ in planning. House builders would also have to show that developments used sustainable energy. ‘This signals real and radical momentum to change and to rethink how we design our towns and homes for the future,’ said Healey.
UK Green Building Council chief executive Paul King said the statement showed that councils were ideally placed to help achieve zero-carbon targets through the planning system.
