Eco-towns: raising the game with the toughest ever green standards

Published by Kate Henderson TCPA for TCPA in Housing and also in Central Government, Environment, Local Government

Leading planning and housing charity, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) welcomed Housing Minister Caroline Flints pledge today that eco-towns will face the toughest ever green standards.

TCPA Policy and Projects Manager Graham Nickson said:
The standards set out by the Minister today are challenging, but achievable given the availability of appropriate investment. Eco-towns, because they are new settlements, present unique opportunities to create a different kind of town from scratch. Standards, such as allocating 40% of land within the town to be green space, at least half of which should be open to the public such as parks, are vital for ensuring that eco-towns are resilient to climate change. Parks with large canopy trees combined with gardens and green roofs can help to keep summer temperatures in the eco-towns cooler and minimise the risk of urban flooding. Provision of such robust criteria for green space is also important for health and wellbeing.

These standards, along with the best practice eco-town Worksheets being developed by the TCPA in collaboration with many experts, will guide the further masterplanning of eco towns and can be used by planners and developers to achieve the level of ambition everybody wishes to see coming from this initiative.

TCPA are advising Government on the quality standards that must be met by eco-town developments and through a series of expert panel seminars and roundtables are developing a series of Worksheets which set out recommendations for planners and developers of eco-towns. The issues covered in these Worksheets, which range from designing open spaces and allotments to forming community trusts and rainwater harvesting, need to be taken into account as masterplans for eco-towns are developed and assessed under the planning process. The TCPA believes that only eco-town proposals that have the potential to meet the highest standards demanded should be given the go-ahead.

The TCPA has had no involvement in the Government's choice of planning processes for eco-towns or in the listing of the potential locations themselves.