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Funding Boost for Eco-towns |
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Monday, 22 February 2010 09:17 |
 More than 600 new "green" homes will be built in and around four planned eco-towns as part of £60m pump-priming by the Government to kick start the projects.
Communities and Local Government said the houses would feature water-saving systems, smart meters to monitor energy use, renewable power and electric car charging points.
The funding will also boost energy efficiency of schools in the areas, including a new "eco-standard" sixth form at one institution, improving public transport and setting up biomass projects to develop green energy.
The money has been allocated for the quartet of new settlements approved last year under CLG’s eco-town programme: Whitehill-Bordon, Hampshire; St Austell in Cornwall; Rackheath, Norfolk and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire. The four successful bids - two of which were late entries into the scheme - were all supported by local authorities.
The department said the construction of the new homes would support up to 2,000 local jobs and introduce thousands of people to the benefits of green living. Most of the houses will be for sale, with a third of them being affordable homes, although some will remain as permanent "eco-show homes".
Planning and housing minister John Healey said the funding marked the start of the country's "biggest ever eco-home building programme".
He added: "By 2016 there will be 10,000 new eco-homes in these four pioneering areas. This means people will be able to experience green living for themselves and see how it can change their lives and save money.
"But green living isn't just about homes. That's why this cash will also help transform local schools and create new transport links and energy sources. By the time the eco-towns are finished green living will already be a way of life for these communities."
The eco-town developments still have to go to through the existing planning system. All the new homes will have to meet at least level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, meeting high standards of insulation, water saving and energy efficiency.
Some will meet the top level 6 in the code - which requires homes to be "zero-carbon", producing no net emissions from all energy used in the home and using renewable or low-carbon power.
Overall the new towns, which are expected to be "exemplars" of environmental development, must be zero-carbon as well as providing a percentage of affordable homes, large areas of green space and ways to cut car travel.
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