Exemplar eco-towns 'an important part of the answer to the recession'

Leading planning and housing charity, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), reinforced its support for a small number of high quality exemplar Eco-towns to meet the challenge of climate change and also to provide affordable good quality homes.

Despite the tough economic circumstances these priorities remain vital to our common future. The Association has also called on Government to demonstrate its commitment to the programme, including funding, for the delivery of the exemplar Eco-towns through to the long term.

In response to the consultation on the draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Eco-towns which closes today, TCPA Chief Executive Gideon Amos OBE said: “If we are to develop differently in ways that respect the environment more after the recession, eco-towns and eco-developments have to be part of the answer.

"Eco-towns have set the highest standards ever in British planning which of course is challenging, but this and the other problems faced by eco-towns mean now that only the best are likely to win through when the final list is published."

“On the question of viability the TCPA points out the self funding nature of many of the bids and the funds CLG has stated are already set aside. The TCPA also pointed out that although the standards in the PPS are higher than in any other planning policy they have been achieved elsewhere and are therefore viable.”

“Likely land value uplift in eco-town locations remains above average despite the recession; however Government must commit sufficient funding to ensure the successful schemes deserve their Eco-town label."

On the planning issues the TCPA restated its view that decisions on most developments should await local plans and regional strategies, but argued the urgency of climate change justifies Ministerial intervention to get exemplar developments off the ground.

Gideon Amos OBE added: "Local authorities now back more of the schemes but when it comes to the imperative of exemplars to deal with climate change elected Ministers have to be justified in playing a role in the planning process too."

The Association wants to see the new Eco-town standards mainstreamed wherever possible and applied to other developments such as eco-burbs and urban extensions.

To support local authorities and developers in drawing up their Eco-town masterplans the TCPA has produced a suite of worksheets on a range of sustainability issues. The worksheets provide practical advice on design measures to adopt that will enable proposed Eco-towns to reach the standards set within this PPS and – in some cases – to exceed them.

The creation of Eco-towns as new settlements allows them to exploit the benefits and opportunities offered by free-standing developments and in turn making them more able to succeed as exemplar developments, but the TCPA also recognises the value and different attributes of urban extensions.

It believes widening of the criteria to include them is justified if the same high standards can be achieved on the basis of their different attributes.