Shelter: Wide-ranging new coalition backs eco-towns

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Monday, 29, Sep 2008 12:00

A coalition of organisations working in environment and social justice is now fighting in support of eco-towns and highlighting the benefits the settlements could bring.

The coalition is issuing 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.

Eco-towns could also provide vital affordable housing for tens of thousands of people, with the coalition believing at least 50% of the homes should be affordable, and of these homes at least 30% should be social rented.

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.

Gideon Amos, chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, 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. While some sites will need to be further tested against agreed plans, the truth is that the standards already set for eco-towns far outstrip those for any other development.”

Adam Sampson, chief executive of Shelter, said: “We must not let the voices of those opposing the planned eco-towns drown out those of people in housing need. Shelter believes that eco-towns can not only provide desperately needed new homes, but also have the opportunity to provide a blueprint for the future of environmentally and socially sustainable housing delivery. “

Sue Riddlestone, executive director of BioRegional, said: "We can design eco-towns to enable residents and workers to lead happy, healthy lives within their fair share of the earth's resources. Designed correctly eco-towns should inspire and show us what a sustainable future looks like, nothing to be afraid of but rather something to embrace."

Matt Shardlow, chief executive of Buglife, said: “Eco-towns represent a once in a generation opportunity for government to prove that it is possible to create many new homes for people without destroying the homes of rare and endangered plants and animals. We urge Government and Local Authorities to use this opportunity to preserve what remains of our biodiversity heritage and to create fantastic new wildlife habitats.”

Kevin Davis, chief executive of the Centre of Accessible Environments, said: “We support any policy that aims for buildings that are 'inclusive by design' and eco-towns could just provide that opportunity. By starting to build houses and communities that are planned to provide for 2 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.”

Sarah Webb, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: "CIH sees eco-towns as exemplars for the sustainable design and development of new communities. 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."

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: "As the national charity for single homeless people, Crisis sees every day the cost of inadequate housing in this country. The Government must keep to its promise of 3 million new homes by 2020, and as the eco-town concept can offer sustainable, high quality affordable and social housing we hope it can help achieve this target."

Mary Rawlinson, head of technical services at the Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities, said: "ECSC is pleased to extend our support to the eco-towns coalition. We are committed to providing the highest standards of energy efficiency and local energy generation to sustainable developments and communities and believe that eco-towns are an important step towards community recognition of a zero carbon future."

Paul Cann, Director of Policy and External Relations at Help the Aged, said: “We believe eco-town principles need to be incorporated into all new community developments to make them work for older people. This means reducing energy bills, promoting independent living, better local transport solutions and locally based services that are age friendly. We need to find ways of applying these principles countrywide to improve the quality of life for all older people.”

Jeremy Iles, director of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, said: "There is a clear and growing demand for community space for local food growing and for education and leisure, on allotments, community gardens, city farms and school growing programmes. Eco-towns could provide a blueprint for such provision as an integral part of the urban fabric, demonstrating the individual and community health and cohesion benefits such activities can bring."

Neil Williamson, president of the Landscape Institute, said: “Eco-towns present an unrivalled opportunity for us to show new ways for people to live. They can be model cities for the future. 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."

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: "Eco-towns have the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting our nation's dire housing need, but they can only work if they are built to the very highest space and environmental standards. They must be places that are truly socially and ecologically sustainable - and show us how to develop low carbon and healthy towns of the future.”

Geoff Stokes, national secretary of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, said: “"Eco-towns will present an opportunity to incorporate allotments and communal garden space at the planning stage, enabling good quality provision to be made. Such planning can incorporate community composting and other schemes, and allow for any surplus produce to be available for use by the community. “

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.”

Andy Goldring, chief executive of the Permaculture Association, said: “New housing will be built whether we like it or not. Eco-towns offer the possibility that new housing will be sustainable, affordable and integrated into the landscape so many of the town’s needs can be met locally. Exemplary eco-towns can help redefine what is possible and provide inspiration and new innovation that can be used to transform our existing settlements.”

Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, said: “RADAR believes the eco-towns concept could make a major contribution to the drive for disability equality and independent living. We want new communities that design in equal access and diversity from the start, deliver lifetime homes in lifetime neighbourhoods and set the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability.”

Sunand Prasad, president of the RIBA, said: “The RIBA is pleased to be able to add its voice in support of the eco-towns concept. 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.”

Peter Lipman, Sustrans policy director, said: "The UK urgently needs working demonstrations of how new settlements can be built so as to maximise use of sustainable transport. If appropriate locations are chosen (and that's a very big if) eco-towns could provide those demonstrations."

Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Social Enterprise London, said: “Social Enterprise London supports the eco-town concept and its design elements which seek to provide new opportunities for community governance, empowerment and economic/social regeneration through social enterprise. Eco-towns could provide an outstanding platform for innovative social enterprises to promote entrepreneurship and greater engagement in local democracy.”

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: “Eco-towns will deliver new jobs as well as new homes. They will also play a key part in delivering a modern construction workforce that is able to deliver environmentally sustainable housing. Trade unions will press for the highest standards of training and apprenticeships to be written into these projects.”

Victoria Higgins, from Waterwise, said: “‘Waterwise welcomes eco-towns, provided that all new buildings are built to a high level of water efficiency and that over a wider area no additional water is required. Installing water efficient products in eco-towns and nearby existing settlements will reduce water wastage and help bring per capita consumption down.”

Wendy Davis, director of the Woman’s Design Service, said: "Our towns and cities have rarely been designed with the needs of women in mind. 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."

Note to editors:

1. A coalition of leading organisations, led by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and Shelter, has put together a joint statement to provide a broad message of support for the eco-town concept and highlight the key benefits that eco-towns could deliver. The coalitions members are all charitable/ not-for profit organisations. The full list of members, as quoted in the press release are: BioRegional, Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Centre for Accessible Environments, Chartered Institute of Housing, Crisis, Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Help the Aged Landscape Institute, National Housing Federation, National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, NUS, Permaculture Association, RADAR, RIBA, Shelter, Social Enterprise London, Sustrans, TCPA, TUC, Waterwise, and Women's Design Service.

2. For a copy of the coalition’s joint statement of support for eco-towns please contact Fiona Mannion on 020 7930 8903

For more information contact:

Rachael Orr

Media Officer

t: 020 7505 1180

e: rachael_orr@shelter.org.uk