In
2007 the Government asked developers to come forward with proposals
for settlements which were examplars of ecological housing 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 however 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.
In the West Mildands we remain concerned that the question of whether
these new homes will be included in the regional
house building numbers (which in our view are already too high)
remains unclear.
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.
We are concerned that, although there are promises of sustainable
transport solutions it is unclear who will pay for these and for how
long they will be guaranteed.
And we are also concerned that an emphasis on eco-standards does not
obscure other issues of design which can be critical in ensuring new
housing is appropriate to its environment.
In the West Midlands there are two planned ecotowns in the Government’s
short list of fifteen, both of which CPRE is opposed to.
(1) The site
at Long Marston, Warwickshire, south of Stratford-upon-Avon, is
in remote countryside where three counties meet. It is only served
by minor roads with almost no public transport access. The land
is a former military depot, now owned by a developer. Promoted as
‘Middle Quinton’ it would not relate to any existing
urban area. You can read CPRE’s response on the CPRE
Warwickshire website and full details are on the the BARD
website.
(2) The site
at Curborough near Lichfield in Staffordshire is seperated from
Lichfield by only two to three miles and we fear the land in between
could be prone to infill development if it goes ahead. There are
also concerns about extra traffic on the A38, which is the only
practical route to Lichfield. Only a small minority of the site
is brown field. You can find out more about what Staffordshire CPRE’s
campaigning on this by e-mailing CPRE@staffordshire.gov.uk.
A
third site at Throckmorton in Worcestershire, which we also objected
to, has not been shortlisted.
Both remaining proposals threaten elements of the Regional
Spatial Strategy, including its emphasis on urban and rural
renaissance, its environmental policies and its policies on sustainable
transport. We are concerned that these proposals have been brought
forward largely independently of the Spatial Strategy Review.
The Government is currently consulting on both the sites themselves
and the elements that would make up an ecotown. CPRE will respond
to that consultation but whatever happens with ecotowns we will
also be calling for ecological standards to be raised across the
board in all new and existing housing in the West Midlands, as part
of our response to the second phase of the Regional
Spatial Strategy Review, which includes a policy on sustainable
construction.
07.05.08
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