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Government unveils second wave of eco-towns
02/12/09
Edited by Andy Jowett. Nine local authorities have put forward proposals to develop new green houses and communities to eco-town standards, housing minister John Healey has announced.
In July, he unveiled the first four eco-town projects at Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk and north-west Bicester in Oxfordshire.
The latest projects will have to meet the government's eco-towns planning policy statement, which was published in the summer. It requires sustainable developments to include at least 5,000 homes and to demonstrate "innovative ideas" for delivering jobs, schools and services in a low carbon way.
Mr Healey said he would provide £5 million to support the development of the new proposals and a further £5 million to back low carbon demonstrator projects.
The second wave of bids remain at an early stage and will be subject to further assessment and public consultation before they seek local planning approval.
Mr Healey said the proposals show there is "real and radical momentum to change and to rethink how we design our towns and homes for the future".
The nine new projects centre on Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, Shoreham Harbour in West Sussex, Taunton and Yeovil in Somerset, the Leeds city region, the Sheffield city region, central Lincolnshire, Coventry and Cornwall.
