Healey adds Essex to the eco-town map
Housing and Planning Minister John Healey has confirmed that a partnership of councils in Essex have expressed an interest using world-leading eco-town standards.
The Haven Gateway Partnership now brings the total number of local authorities and partnerships in the potential "second wave" eco-towns to 11. Healey has pledged £200,000 to help the Partnership develop proposals for new communities in Essex, which collectively could provide around 8,000 new homes, and a similar number of new jobs.
Proposals are at a very early stage and funding will be used to help identify the best locations for long term growth. Before any plans go ahead, proposals will need to meet the pioneering green standards set out in the eco-towns planning policy statement published last July, and will be subject to widespread public consultation and local planning approval. The funding will help get proposals and masterplans off the ground, introducing greener living not only for people who go on to live in the new eco-communities, but for the thousands of people already living nearby.
Housing and Planning Minister, John Healey, said:
"I welcome the proposals from the Haven Gateway Partnership and Essex County Council who are now in the eco-town second wave shortlist. Councils in this Essex partnership recognise we need to plan, design and build our homes differently in the future.
"Britain is leading the world with these new eco-town standards, which combine affordable housing with new green infrastructure and an exceptional quality of life. Today I have pledged funding to back the Haven Gateway Partnership's proposals, so they can strengthen Britain's green revolution and demonstrate the eco-town potential for mainstream developments."
The second wave of eco towns are in addition to the first four eco-town sites that the minister announced last July, which met tough government standards. Those sites in Hampshire, Norfolk, Cornwall and Oxfordshire are currently developing revolutionary "masterplans" for local planning approval and all will see start building on site within months. Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire was the first to publish its draft masterplan for public consultation.
All proposals will have to meet the high standards of sustainability that Healey set out last July. Reheated proposals will not make it through the planning process. Eco-towns must include:
•the toughest standards for sustainability, with smart meters to track energy use, community heat sources and charging points for electric cars
•smart, efficient, homes - at least 30 per cent of the homes must be affordable - taking their energy from the sun, wind and earth. The possibility of being able to control the heat and ventilation of their homes at the touch of a button; and sell their surplus energy into the grid
•all homes located within ten minutes' walk of frequent public transport and everyday neighbourhood services
•greenspace, including parks, playgrounds and gardens making up two fifths of the towns. Children will attend local zero carbon schools, making use of the paths and cycle ways
•zero carbon developments, not just homes, including shops, restaurants and public buildings. Car journeys should make up less than half of all journeys. And all the homes will reach at least level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes - including higher standards for energy efficiency, and water efficiency. These measures, including those for recycling and waste could save a typical home £200-500 a year in energy bills.
The grant of £200,000 for the Haven Gateway Partnership will fund the first set of studies into the potential for using eco-town standards in planned new developments, which could mean greener homes and developments designed and built with low-carbon living in mind.
Any eco-town development needs to be made up of at least 5,000 homes and all proposals will be subject to widespread public consultation and local planning approval before going ahead. The funding will help get proposals and masterplans off the ground, introducing greener living not only for people who go on to live in the new eco-towns, but for the thousands of people already living nearby.
