27 June: “FLAWED ECO TOWNS AT ECO SLUMS RISK”
By Catherine Morrow
Eco towns have been slammed for their lack of urban planning which could see them become eco slums of the future, says local Government chief.
Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the Local Government Association has highlighted the risk of eco towns being eco slums “if they [eco towns] are built without regard to where residents can get jobs or training.”
Instead, calls have been made to build eco towns in urban areas and not in the countryside in order to stop the green settlements turning into dormitory towns. So far, 13 out of the 15 shortlisted eco towns are planned for rural areas.
If transport links to the eco towns are poor, then the Government’s objectives of cutting carbon emissions will see the settlements achieve the very opposite. People will have to drive for resources and work.
Another wave of eco town criticism has surfaced in an official report by the Eco Towns Challenge Panel. The Panel has drawn focus on the view that the eco town proposals are “ just housing estates in the countryside with a green label attached.”
A national eco town demonstration will take place on 30 June in Westminster, marking the end of the first phase of the eco town consultation process.
