Underlining the Government's determination that only the best quality schemes with very high sustainability standards should qualify for eco-town status, the standards being developed are set to include:
- Achieving zero carbon status across all the town's buildings, including commercial and public buildings as well as homes - a significantly tougher threshold than any existing or agreed targets
- Allocating 40 per cent of land within the town to be green space, at least half of which should be open to the public as parks or recreation areas
- Providing a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing to provide more homes for social rent and assist those struggling to get on the housing ladder
- Creating more options for travel and reducing residents' reliance on the car to enable the majority of journeys to be made by sustainable transport, such as public transport, walking and cycling
- Ensuring a minimum of one job per house can be reached by sustainable transport to reduce dependence on the car
- Locating the average home within 10 minutes walk of frequent public transport and everyday neighbourhood services
- Raising the threshold for individual homes so that they must all achieve at least level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which includes standards for household waste recycling, construction waste, water efficiency measures and reduced pollution.
The progress report also clarifies how the planning process for eco-towns will work, making it clear that in each case a planning application will have to be submitted and that it will be for the local authority to consider that application. The eco-towns standards will also insist that proposed developments must comply with existing planning policy.
