PRESS RELEASE
Monday 5th March 2007
‘
Emerging clusters of ‘mini-new towns’ could
be the sustainable solution to soaring housing demand, a new report published
today by the Town and Country Planning Association shows.
The new report, Best Practice in Urban Extensions and New Settlements, shows how clusters
of small settlements can punch well above their weight in terms of delivering
high quality sustainable homes, public transport, jobs and retail.
But the test of the ‘networked new town’ must be that the connecting
thread is public transport, and not just cars. By linking a number of small
settlements to a larger neighbour through public
transport and information technology, quality of life can be raised and carbon
emissions from transport reduced.
Speaking at the TCPA's
Sustainable Development and New Settlements conference today TCPA chief
executive
"The biggest
challenge we face today is to climate proof our cities and suburbs, whilst
meeting the pressing need for new homes. As communities grapple with this
challenge it is not surprising that in some cases a new settlement provides the
most sustainable solution.
“This report – the
first such study for nearly a decade – presses our case for ‘linked new
settlements’ to be properly networked into the existing urban core with
efficient public transport and high quality communications technology."
For example, the North Northamptonshire growth
area of Corby,
Traditionally, new towns have aimed to be totally self-contained,
meeting employment and leisure needs as well as homes. However, the new report
shows that new towns do not have to be so big or so distant as to be
self-contained in all respects. The guided bus joining
As house prices soar ever higher, the
pressure is on to increase housing provision, the Town and Country Planning
Association said in their new report. ‘linked new
settlements’ ensure this is done in a sustainable way, supported by efficient
public transport to create a networked cluster. These are being developed in
several locations across
The study follows up recent TCPA research
on regeneration and brownfield land. Planned new
settlements at Sherford near
Gideon Amos added:
"We must allow
communities to develop their own local solutions, identifying new settlements
where they offer the most sustainable option. Bringing regeneration and urban
extensions together through ‘linked new settlements’ is crucial as part of a
portfolio of possible solutions. The term should now enter the planning
lexicon."
Other conclusions of the study include the
significant for cutting carbon emissions in major extensions and new settlements,
and the need for long term planning, political consensus and early pump priming
investment.
The report is available at www.tcpa.org.uk
Notes
to Editors
- The Town and Country Planning
Association (TCPA) is an independent campaigning charity
calling for more integrated planning based on the principles of
accessibility, sustainability, diversity, and community cohesion. The TCPA puts social justice and
the environment at the heart of the debate about planning policy, housing
and energy supply. We inspire government, industry and campaigners to take
a fresh perspective on major issues including climate change and
regeneration.
- The idea of the networked new town was well illustrated by Peter
Hall and Colin Ward in their book Sociable Cities where clusters of
old and new places are suggested, connected by railway line, in areas as
diverse as East Kent, Cambridgeshire and Milton
Keynes and the
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