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BIG ISSUE: Eco-towns

Eco-town brief sets council skills levels

29 January 2010

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has published guidance on how to ensure the effective delivery of eco-towns.

Healey unveils second wave of eco-town sites

1 December 2009

Housing and planning minister John Healey has announced proposals for a second wave of eco-towns.

TCPA publishes eco-town biodiversity guidance

1 December 2009

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has published new guidance on protecting and enhancing biodiversity in eco-towns.

Eco-town design review panel set up

10 November 2009

A special design review panel has been set up to provide advice on the quality of designs for the government's proposed eco-towns.

Inquiry recommends Warwickshire eco-town is dropped

30 September 2009

Plans for a 6000-home eco-town in Warwickshire have been dealt a blow by a West Midlands regional housing inquiry.

Councils asked to submit eco-town funding bids

18 August 2009

Local authorities will be asked to submit growth plans for eco-towns in a bid to secure funding from central government.

First wave of eco-towns announced

16 July 2009

The government has announced the first four eco-towns that will now go ahead to the next planning stage.

Government expected to give go-ahead for eco-towns

17 July 2009

The government was expected to give the go-ahead for several eco-towns after Planning went to press this week.

Four eco-towns to share £60m for infrastructure

20 July 2009

Four proposed developments awarded eco-town status last week will share £60 million of funding over the next two years to support infrastructure development, the housing minister has announced.

Expert panel faces up to middle Quinton Eco-town

15 June 2009

An expert panel at the Examination in Public into the West Midlands regional spatial strategy (RSS) will tomorrow question how sustainable and deliverable the Middle Quinton Eco-town proposal is.

Planning lawyer calls for 'decisive action' on eco-towns

4 June 2009

A leading planning lawyer has attacked the government's failure to push forward its plans for eco-towns.

Eco-town bid brief pressed

29 May 2009

No eco-towns will make the government's shortlist unless they meet the highest standards, housing minister Margaret Beckett insisted last week.

Eco-town 'conflict of interest' protest

15 June 2009

A campaign against a proposed eco-home development in Surrey has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving the Government, developers the Rutland Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

St Modwen retaliates in eco-town row

26 May 2009

St Modwen and the Bird Group have angrily hit back after a complaint against an advert for their Middle Quinton Eco Town Vision was upheld.

Panel to inspect eco-town

1 May 2009

One of the most contentious eco-town plans is to be considered through the West Midlands regional spatial strategy (RSS), delaying a decision until the end of the year.

Eco towns 'not yet up to scratch'

20 May 2009

No eco towns will make the government's shortlist unless they meet the highest standards, housing minister Margaret Beckett insisted last night.

RTPI calls for eco-town standards for all homes

30 April 2009

Standards for eco towns should be applied to all housing, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

Grasslands trust backs eco-towns

30 April 2009

The Grasslands Trust has announced it is throwing its support behind the government's eco-towns concept.

Eco-towns risk becoming car-dependent "joke"

24 April 2009

Government plans for eco-towns will lead to developments that depend on cars, according to environmental campaigners.

Silk finds eco-towns open to legal review

10 April 2009

The eco-town initiative remains susceptible to judicial review with a strong chance of being declared unlawful, latest legal opinion warns.

Anti eco-town group to take fight to high court

30 March 2009

A group campaigning against the Middle Quinton eco-town proposed for near Stratford-upon-Avon are to appeal against a High Court judge's decision to reject their challenge to the Government's eco-town selection process.

Eco-town guide sets out value argument

27 March 2009

Eco-towns should encourage investment by proving that they provide "more bang for your buck", according to the consultancy advising on economic strategies.

RTPI gives eco-town warning over rural measures

26 March 2009

RTPI president Martin Willey has warned the government to heed warnings from the eco-towns process in its plans to tackle rural economy and affordable housing.

Eco-towns in fresh dispute

20 March 2009

Campaigners against the Middle Quinton eco-town are to appeal a High Court judge's decision to reject their challenge to the government's eco-town selection process.

Review reveals need for public subsidy on two eco-town sites

13 March 2009

Two eco-town proposals may need some public subsidy, a study for the government on their financial viability has indicated.

Government eco-town initiative extended

9 March 2009

A public consultation on the Government's controversial eco-town initiative has been extended by two months. Residents close to the proposed schemes will have extra time to respond to the consultation on the draft planning policy statement and sustainability appraisal on eco-towns. The new deadline for responses will be 30 April.

MPs slam DCLG eco-town leadership

4 March 2009

Weak leadership by the government department in charge of the flagship eco-towns project means the scheme is "highly unlikely" to deliver as many homes as originally planned, a group of MPs has warned.

Study backs Oxfordshire eco-town alternative

2 March 2009

A study by independent consultancy Halcrow into the concept of an eco development in north west Bicester has found potential in the scheme.

Eco-towns deadline extended

26 February 2009

The consultation on the draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) and Sustainability Appraisal on eco-towns has now been extended to Thursday 30 April.

SEERA calls for regional eco-town decisions

17 February 2009

The location and principle of eco-towns should be examined through the local and regional planning process says the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA).

Marston Vale eco-town plan dropped

16 February 2009

Another proposed eco-town has been withdrawn from the Government's shortlist, reducing the number of contenders to 11.

Council opposes Leicestershire eco-town

11 February 2009

Leicestershire County Council has voted to object to the Co-operative Group's proposed eco-town at Pennbury.

Developer quits eco-town programme

6 February 2009

The developers behind the Marston Vale eco town project in Bedfordshire have pulled out of the government's programme in favour of going through the regional planning process.

Campaigners lose eco-town challenge

27 January 2009

Campaigners against the government's eco-town policy have failed their High Court bid to block the controversial programme.

Government defends eco-town policy

27 January 2009

The government has come to the defence of its eco-town plans as a High Court challenge into the programme enters its fourth day.

Government upbeat on eco-town progress

31 July 2008

The Eco-Town Challenge Panel has published an update on the progress of proposals for the government's eco-towns programme.

Flint visits eco-town sites

29 July 2008

Housing minister Caroline Flint has visited two proposed eco-town sites at Pennbury near Leicester and Middle Quinton near Stratford-upon-Avon.

Eco-town PPS 'unlawful'

23 July 2008

The government's approach to delivering eco-towns is open to serious legal challenge, according to advice by two top lawyers.

UK Coal scales back eco-town plans

21 July 2008

UK Coal has dramatically cut the size of its shortlisted eco-town plan for Rossington, South Yorkshire.

Landowner quits Cambridgeshire eco-town

18 July 2008

Plans for an eco-town near Cambridge have been thrown into doubt after one of the landowners pulled out of the scheme.

Leicester eco-town options revealed

14 July 2008

Plans outlining three potential layouts for a proposed eco-town on land south east of Leicester have been revealed.

Eco-town bid warning rung

11 July 2008

MPs have criticised the government for never fully evaluating new towns despite its plans for three million homes and a series of eco-towns.

Second developer quits eco-town

9 July 2008

Developer Gallagher Estates has withdrawn from plans to build an eco-town in Mid Bedfordshire.

Queen joins eco-town consortium

9 July 2008

The Queen has joined a consortium to develop a 5,000 home eco-town near Nottingham.

'Leadership role' for HCA in eco-town delivery

8 July 2008

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) will have a 'leadership role' in delivering the government's eco-town programme.

Developers quit eco-town project

8 July 2008

The consortium behind one of the government's 15 shortlisted eco-town schemes has withdrawn.

Eco-town announcement 'still on target'

7 July 2008

The announcement of where ten eco-towns will be created is still scheduled to be made this autumn the Department for Communities and Local Government said this week, despite press reports suggesting that it could delay the declaration until early 2009.

'No role' for IPC in eco-town decisions

2 July 2008

Secretary of state for communities and local government Caroline Flint has confirmed that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) will have no role in deciding on eco-towns.

Warning on eco-town CPO wrangles

1 July 2008

Local authorities will need to forcibly buy land on an almost unprecedented scale if the government's proposed eco towns are to go ahead as planned, specialist planning lawyers have warned.

CPRE hits back at DCLG comments

1 July 2008

The CPRE has hit back at comments from spokesperson for housing minister Caroline Flint questioning CPRE's commitment to affordable housing.

Tories abandon 'sham' eco-towns

30 June 2008

The Conservative Party has formally withdrawn its support for the government's controversial eco-towns.

Government fights back over eco-towns

30 June 2008

The government has hit back at eco-town opponents with the publication of a poll showing more people in England support eco-towns than oppose them.

CPRE calls for radical eco-town rethink

30 June 2008

CPRE has called on the government to dramatically rethink its eco-town programme.

Government to rake in £275m from eco-town sales

30 June 2008

The government could make £275m from the sale of former MoD sites for its controversial eco towns, according to weekend media reports.

Flint prepares eco-town roadshow

27 June 2008

Housing minister Caroline Flint will announce the next expanded stage of public consultation on eco-towns on Monday.

Council rejects eco town scheme

26 June 2008

Plans to build a 5,000 home eco town in Lincolnshire have been scrapped at a council vote.

LGA warns on 'eco-slums'

26 June 2008

A report by the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that the government's eco-towns risk becoming "eco-slums" of the future without more input from councils.

TCPA calls for eco-town inquiries

24 June 2008

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has called for full inquiries to be held into any eco-town proposals not already allocated in a Development Plan.

Flint visits eco-town site

23 June 2008

Housing minister Caroline Flint today met local councillors, residents, developers and the local MP to discuss the proposed eco-town at the former RAF Coltishall site in Norfolk.

Report critical of eco-town plans

23 June 2008

An official report into the government's proposed eco-town developments has raised serious doubts about the viability of current proposals.

Eco-towns to banish cars

17 June 2008

The government's eco-towns are to be designed to minimise car usage with possible fines for residents wishing to drive.

Eco-towns to count in housing delivery

13 June 2008

Eco-towns will not be surplus to the existing growth plans necessary to meet housing targets, according to a senior DCLG official.

Celebrities join eco-town protest

9 June 2008

Around 2,000 protesters marched yesterday against plans for an eco-town in the West Sussex countryside.

Campaign group plans legal challenge to eco-towns plan

28 May 2008

A campaign group protesting against the Government's eco-town proposals is preparing to challenge the plans through the courts.

Flint insists eco-towns won't sidestep planning process

19 May 2008

Housing and planning minister Caroline Flint has insisted that eco-town proposals will go through the local planning process after reports that ministers intend to fast-track some of the planned new towns.

Eco-town protestors take campaign to town hall

21 April 2008

Protestors fighting plans for an eco-town in Warwickshire are to stage a demonstration outside council offices on Monday afternoon.

Midlands eco-town opponents vow to fight plan

11 April 2008

Opponents of the Government's eco-towns scheme have promised to step up their protests.

Eco-town battle begins

11 April 2008

Developers, consultancies and local authorities will be fighting hard over the coming months to make the case for eco-towns as opposition mounts in some areas, reports Susanna Gillman.