EXCLUSIVE: Coalition puts case for eco-towns

Friday, October 31, 2008

A coalition of organisations working for the environment and social justice is now fighting in support of the eco-town programme and highlighting the benefits the settlements could bring, writes Kate Henderson

We have seen a lot of very vocal opposition to the government's proposed eco-towns but now a coalition of organisations from across the spectrum of sustainable development – including housing, planning and homelessness charities, unions such as TUC and NUS, and organisations that specialise in biodiversity, sustainable food productions, transport, water, energy, landscape and design – have come together to express support for the concept that they think could provide an essential part of the solution.

The coalition has issued a rallying statement, saying it believes eco-towns provide the opportunity to build homes and places of the highest design and environmental standards, providing blueprints that can be used to influence future developments. The organisations involved are hoping to broaden the debate and are calling on all local people to get involved in the consultation process in their area to raise their concerns and shape the way the proposed eco-towns might look.

Town & Country Planning Association chief executive Gideon Amos said: "This coalition brings together environmentalists with housing bodies and those concerned with social justice – a genuinely cross sector voice backing eco-towns – reflecting the majority of opinion within the country." Sarah Webb, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, added that "…(we) hope that this coalition will enable the other side of the debate, in particular those who stand to benefit from eco-towns, to have a fair hearing".

Eco-towns will not solve the housing shortfall, but they have the potential to provide vital affordable housing for tens of thousands of people; at least 30 per cent of the homes delivered in eco-towns should be social rented and a further 20 per cent other affordable housing. This statement is welcomed by Leslie Morphy of Crisis who said: "Crisis sees every day the cost of inadequate housing in this country" and Adam Sampson from homelessness charity Shelter who said:"We must not let the voices of those opposing the planned eco-towns drown out those of people in housing need." David Orr, from the National Housing Federation also emphasised that "eco-towns have the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting our nation's dire housing need".

President of the Royal Institute of British Architects.(RIBA) Sunand Prasad has welcomed the coalition saying that RIBA "is pleased to be able to add its voice in support of the eco-towns concept", adding that "design of the very highest quality will be vital to realising the true ambition of the programme. If we can achieve zero-carbon settlements, we will have gained an important weapon in mitigating and adapting to climate change". Neil Williamson, president of the Landscape Institute, echoed this, stating: "Eco-towns present an unrivalled opportunity for us to show new ways for people to live. By giving as much attention to green infrastructure as to the traditional 'grey' infrastructure, we can create a living space that is better for everyone."

'Whole-town' environmental solutions, the chance to lay down infrastructure for an entire town to become water, waste and energy neutral, have been embraced by coalition partners such as Waterwise and the Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities. They want to see eco-towns where "all new buildings are built to a high level of water efficiency" and "the highest standards of energy efficiency and local energy generation" are delivered. Enriching biodiversity is another key element of eco-towns, providing the "opportunity to preserve what remains of our biodiversity heritage and to create fantastic new wildlife habitats", said Matt Shardlow of Buglife (the Invertebrate Conservation Trust).

Sustainable transport solutions, where eco-towns are designed around the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, have been backed by all signatories. Peter Lipman from Sustrans said: "The UK urgently needs working demonstrations of how new settlements can be built so as to maximise use of sustainable transport."

The coalition wants to see eco-towns where new neighbourhoods encourage community involvement and empowerment through local governance structures. Social Enterprise London chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: "Eco-towns could provide an outstanding platform for innovative social enterprises to promote entrepreneurship and greater engagement in local democracy."

And job creation is equally important to the coalition, with TUC general secretary Brendan Barber calling for "new jobs as well as new homes" in eco-towns. Barber added that eco-towns "will also play a key part in delivering a modern construction workforce that is able to deliver environmentally sustainable housing".

Homes and local services that work for young families as well as older people must be provided, addressing the needs of different equalities groups – age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexuality. "By starting to build houses and communities that are planned to provide for two-year-olds as much as they are for 92-year-olds then we can bring about a revolution in housing provision fit for the 21st century," said Kevin Davis of the Centre of Accessible Environments. RADAR, the disability network, believes that "the eco-towns concept could make a major contribution to the drive for disability equality and independent living" and RADAR’s chief executive, Liz Sayce, has called for "new communities that design in equal access and diversity from the start, deliver lifetime homes in lifetime neighbourhoods".

Paul Cann at Help the Aged, added that "eco-town principles need to be incorporated into all new community developments to make them work for older people, reducing energy bills, promoting independent living, better local transport solutions and locally based services that are age friendly."

Looking at the younger population, ie those who are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder, National Union of Students (NUS) president Wes Streeting said: "Many aspects of the eco-town scheme will appeal to students, from sustainable energy solutions to promoting social justice. The affordable housing provided by eco-towns will give students a chance to integrate fully within the community, without being ‘ghettoised’ or exploited by unscrupulous landlords."

The Woman’s Design Service has added an often neglected element to the debate, with Wendy Davis saying: "Eco-towns hold out the possibility of addressing many of the issues that the women we work with care about; safer streets and public spaces, more child-friendly environments, clustering of amenities in walkable neighbourhoods and environments conducive to physical and mental health."

Above all, the coalition wants to see eco-towns that set examples of improvements to the wider community, generating more jobs, decent homes, promoting community entrepreneurship, local services and public transport and environmental benefits so that everybody gains, not only in surrounding areas, but in providing new standards for regeneration and change elsewhere.

Kate Henderson is from the Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA)