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Eco-towns face another hurdle as delegates opt for brownfield building
THE Government's beleaguered eco-towns scheme faces another stumbling block after the Liberal Democrats voted to oppose new developments.
Ministers still clinging to hopes of building 10 of the new towns now face the prospect of opposition from both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
The plans to build up to 10 eco-towns – one of Gordon Brown's flagship policies – have already been dealt a series of blows amid concern over how green they will really be, dissatisfaction with some of the proposed sites and the stark slowdown in housebuilding.
There are currently 13 sites remaining on a shortlist for developments of up to 20,000 homes – including proposals for 5,000 homes on former colliery land at Rossington in South Yorkshire – with a final decision on which sites should go ahead expected next year.
Ministers are still determined to find a site in the Leeds City Region area, despite council leaders concluding there are no suitable sites for the development.
At the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth yesterday, delegates voted to oppose developments of "freestanding" eco-towns, as well as blocking developments on Green Belt land. They backed the need for more homes to be built, but said wherever possible they should be on brownfield land and connected to existing settlements.
Delegates agreed that "focus should be on making already planned and approved developments more environmentally and socially sustainable, rather than on superimposing new settlements in rural areas".
Lib Dem housing spokesman Lembit Opik said: "Instead of ensuring all our towns and cities are sustainable, the Government is using the green facade of eco-towns to bypass the planning system and ignore local needs and concerns.
"By presenting these developments as eco-friendly when they are only required to meet moderate environmental standards, Ministers are misleading the public in order to force through these often unwanted towns."
The eco-towns have been controversial and the scheme faces the prospect of a judicial review. The Conservatives oppose it.
Doubts have also been cast over whether 10 developments will actually get built even if they get the go-ahead, with house-building at a virtual standstill.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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