In 2007 the Government asked developers to come forward with proposals for settlements which were exemplars of ecological design. These had to include over 5,000 homes and be free standing.
CPRE supports the aspiration for higher ecological standards and is sympathetic to the concept of exemplars. Unfortunately the criteria have excluded large numbers of sites which we believe could have been included either because they are in urban areas or because the housing levels do not meet the requirement. This would include Longbridge and sites in the Black Country which offer real opportunities to create sustainable communities.
We are concerned that in practice new free standing sites could become commuter towns generating traffic, even if every effort is included to make them self-contained.
Despite some reservations, however, there were some of the original proposals which we could have supported. A shortlist of fifteen did not include any we favoured.
In the West Midlands CPRE has opposed all the proposed ecotowns.
A site at Throckmorton in Worcestershire, which we objected to, was not shortlisted.
The site at Curborough near Lichfield in Staffordshire was withdrawn and then promoted as a development site without ecotown status. It is separated from Lichfield and we fear the land in-between would be prone to infill development. There are also concerns about traffic impacts on the A38.
The site at Lower Quinton near Stratford in Warwickshire was rejected by the Panel examining the Regional Spatial Strategy. While on a brown field site, it is poorly located and would not integrate well with the surrounding towns. You can read about the proposal in more detail at the BARD website.
Whatever happens to those sites we continue to call for ecological standards to be raised across the board in new and existing housing in the West Midlands. This is included in our response to the second phase of the Regional Spatial Strategy Review, and its policy on sustainable construction.
27.11.09
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