Mon 23 Jun 2008
Eco-towns won’t be self-sufficient, say experts
Transport links proposed by developers in the majority of the eco-towns will not be self-sufficient enough to cope with the likelihood of rising oil prices, says a report from the eco-town challenge panel.Builders bidding to develop the 10 proposed eco-towns need to prove how they will reduce the carbon footprint of future residents, according to John Walker, chairman of the challenge panel set up by the government to improve the quality of development bids.
A preliminary report on the 15 bids based on interviews with each of its developers has found that proposed transport links for the towns are inadequate. Proposals to develop Curborough near Lichfield “lack innovative transport solutions”, while in Rossington, part of housing minister Caroline Flint’s (pictured) constituency, “there is too great a reliance on roads”. The bid for this area, the report found “relies too heavily on employment from its airport, which may cease to exist in a world where oil is $200-300 per barrel”.
Plans to pick up on the north’s historical position as a strong engineering base by creating green jobs to supply materials for eco-homes, a market currently reliant on imports, were also mooted in the report.
“A lot of the schemes proposed are, by normal standards very good, but it’s also fair to say a lot of them have got a lot of work to do,” Walker told the press. “Transport is one area where all of the developments need to work harder.”
However, plans to build the towns will not be successful unless they are planned locally rather than centrally says Dr Oliver Hartwich, chief economist at Policy Exchange think tank.
Developers have a month to improve plans for their schemes before reporting their progress to the panel in July.
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