£1m boost for region's eco-home projects

Work on sites in Leeds Aire Valley, north-west York, the Bradford-Shipley canal corridor and North Kirklees and South Dewsbury were formally given Government approval yesterday, with up to 28,000 new sustainable homes being planned across the four sites.

The houses are part of the Government's controversial eco-towns project, which has met with considerable local opposition around the country. Proposals to build a new eco-town in the Leeds City Region as a separate entity were rejected in 2008, with regional planners instead agreeing to construct a number of smaller 'eco-settlements' within existing communities.

Local authorities say all the homes will be built "to meet the highest standards of sustainability", and are expected to have solar panels and wind turbines as well as high-quality public transport and cycling links.

The 1.2m funding announced yesterday will be used to help with planning of the schemes and the construction of initial showcase projects.

Councillor Andrew Waller, chair of the Leeds City Region housing panel and leader of York Council, said: "This is a very positive step forward. It has followed months of negotiation between councils and central government to create locally a different way of approaching the eco-town model."

Development work has already started on the first phase of the Leeds Aire Valley scheme, to the south-east of the city centre, and construction will also begin soon in York.