New government report sets high standard for eco-town

12:56pm Thursday 24th July 2008

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HOUSING minister Caroline Flint this week published the next stage of the eco-town programme while outlining the government’s own green standards.

The report highlights the government’s determination that only the best quality schemes with very high sustainability standards should qualify for eco-town status, and states that proposals, such as for the 6,000 home eco-town at Long Marston, should: • Achieve zero carbon status with all buildings • Allocate 40 per cent of land within the town to be green space • Provide a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing • Enable the majority of journeys to be made by sustainable transport • Ensure a minimum of one job per house can be reached by this sustainable transport • To locate the average home within 10 minutes walk of public transport and neighbourhood services • And to raise the threshold for individual homes so that they all achieve at least Level 4 of the Code For Sustainable Homes, which includes standards for household waste recycling, water efficiency and reduced pollution.

Ms Flint said: “These would be the toughest standards ever set out for new development and demonstrate that there will be no comprise on quality with eco-towns.

“We need to build more homes in this country, but given that housing contributes 27 per cent of our carbon emissions we must also take this opportunity to trial new ways of tackling climate change.”

A final decision on up to 10 eco-town sites will be made early in 2009 after which individual schemes will have to submit planning applications, which will have to comply with existing planning policy.