Latest eco-town news

Allocation of funding for second wave eco-towns announced along with two new proposals

9 March 2010

Funding allocations for the potential second wave eco-town locations was announced on 9 March 2010. £10 million was made available from the Growth Fund in December 2009 alongside the announcement of expressions of interest for the second wave locations.

Government also confirmed that a further two new areas have been added to proposed eco-town "second wave" originally announced in December. Two more councils - East Devon District Council and Fareham Borough Council - have expressed an interest in using eco-town standards for new settlements in their area. The Minister has announced a share of £10m for these areas, originally announced in December, to help generate plans and "early win projects". 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.

Second wave of eco-towns proposals unveiled

1 December 2010

The Government is backing the expressions of interest from nine local authorities with up to £10m. The potential second wave eco-town proposals are:

• Schemes at Shoreham Harbour in West Sussex and Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, where there is an opportunity to redesign elements of the existing projects to meet even higher sustainability standards
• Five authorities and partnerships, covering ten locations in Taunton (Monkton Heathfield and Comeytrowe), Yeovil, Leeds City Region (Aire Valley, York North West, North Kirklees and Bradford-Shipley canal corridor), Lincoln (Lincoln Area and Gainsborough) and Coventry. In these locations, the concepts are still at an early stage but development work under the eco-towns PPS offers the possibility of creating an outstanding new community providing it is feasible and deliverable
• Councils in Cornwall and the Sheffield City Region (Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire) want to use the eco-towns concept to carry out a broader survey of potential, test alternative options for development and then use the eco-town concept and standards to apply across their area. 

First wave eco-towns get pilot projects off the ground

1 December 2010 

Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell (China Clay) in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire will be showcasing to local communities what the benefits of the proposed eco-town will be, and how it could also benefit existing, neighbouring communities. Proposed 'demonstrator schemes' so far include retrofitting existing homes, building new low and zero carbon affordable homes for local people to live in (not just show homes), reducing waste and introducing electric bus routes and cycle hire schemes.

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