Catherine Morrow puts the DCLG under the spotlight
What do you think are the benefits of eco towns? "Eco-towns give us a unique opportunity to tackle two of the greatest challenges facing the country in tandem – the pressing need to confront climate change and to deliver more affordable housing. "These locations have the potential to deliver vital affordable housing for tens of thousands of young people and families. "We are already regenerating brownfield sites in existing towns and cities but this alone is not enough. Eco-towns can be ‘green’ settlements which recognise that climate change is damaging our planet – this is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to miss."
What do you think are the disadvantages of eco towns? "I don’t think we would agree that there are disadvantages to eco-towns, but they will not be suitable in every area, they are only part of the answer to the housing shortage and they must be seen in context of our overall housing policy"
What do you think are the disadvantages of eco towns? "I don’t think we would agree that there are disadvantages to eco-towns, but they will not be suitable in every area, they are only part of the answer to the housing shortage and they must be seen in context of our overall housing policy"
Why do you think some of the eco town proposals have angered some residents such as in Ford, West Sussex ? "You would have to ask residents themselves about this, and I think you would probably find many different views. But of course we do recognise that many people may have concerns and strong opinions. Many of these will be addressed as they find out more about the proposals; other people may continue to be opposed to local development. But we desperately need more homes in this country. We have not been building enough houses for a generation, and young families and first time buyers in particular are struggling to get on the housing ladder."
To what extent do you think this latest injection of eco towns will help solve the UK housing crisis as described in the Town and Country Planning Association documentation? "Last year’s Housing Green Paper set out the need to build 3m more homes by 2020, as we have not been building enough houses for a generation. Eco-towns are only part of our strategy for building more homes, alongside renovating empty homes, building more homes in existing towns and cities, and making better use of excess public sector land, but these alone are not enough. We anticipate that eco-towns will provide approximately 100,000 new homes of the total."
How much do you think eco towns will contribute to effective climate change adaptation? "Eco-towns won’t solve climate change on their own, but housing currently produces 27% of the UK ’s carbon emissions, and eco-towns are part of our strategy for addressing this. They will be zero-carbon developments across the whole settlement, offering a greener way of living that isn’t currently available. Each eco-town will also pioneer an example of green technology, providing vital lessons and experience which all new developments will be able to learn from, both nationally and across the world."
What are the costs of implementing the new eco towns and how will these costs be covered? "This is a question for the developers, and will vary in each eco-town depending on local circumstances."
Some strong criticism has been received about not enough consideration has been awarded to existing communities near eco town sites? Do you think the eco town proposals have given enough consideration about integrating new towns to compliment existing towns or is it more of out with the old and in with the new towns?" Eco-towns are meant to be separate settlements in their own right. One of the key challenges for each location is to ensure that they include the right infrastructure – transport, schools and health facilities – to support the eco-towns, and the surrounding communities, and those developers who do not meet these standards will not make the final shortlist. "To ensure local people are involved and everyone gets their say, the Department is currently carrying out a consultation on the principle of an eco-town in each location, which will be followed by a consultation on the details. This will contribute to the decision on the final shortlist, after which each eco-town proposal will have to go through the planning process, which will include a further round of local consultation."
- Statement from spokesperson for the DCLG -