what is an eco-town?

Why do we need eco-towns and what will they be like?

We face a huge housing challenge in coming years. Tens of thousands of people are on waiting lists and many people cannot find affordable housing. We also need to make sure homes of the future are environmentally friendly.

Eco-towns will be new communities with 5,000 -15,000 homes; with green space, schools, health care facilities, businesses and shops. Each will have the highest level of design and will also showcase the best of our new green technologies.

What standards will eco-towns have to meet?

The Planning Policy Statement (PPS): eco-towns, published on 16 July, sets out the highest ever standards for green new developments in the UK. Evidence that these standards have all been addressed is required before planning permission may be granted. The sustainability standards proposed in the PPS: eco-towns include:

• Achieving zero carbon status across the development, including commercial and public buildings as well as homes - a significantly tougher threshold than any existing or agreed targets
• Allocating 40 per cent of the area within the town to be green space, at least half of which should be open to the public as parks or recreation areas
• Requiring individual homes to reach the Building for Life silver standard and also achieve 70 per cent carbon savings above current building regulations in terms of heating, hot water and lighting
• Providing a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing to provide more homes for social rent and assist those struggling to get on the housing ladder
• Creating more options for travel so that residents are able to make the majority of their journeys without a car, such as by public transport, walking and cycling
• Ensuring a minimum of one job per house can be reached by walking, cycling or public transport to reduce dependence on the car
• Locating homes within ten minutes walk of frequent public transport, a primary school, and everyday neighbourhood services (allowing for the natural geography of the sites)
• Raising the threshold for individual homes so that they must all achieve at least level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which includes standards for household waste recycling, construction waste, water efficiency measures and reduced pollution