The panel of leading figures from the worlds of design, the environment, transport and sustainability, was selected by Housing Minister Caroline Flint to provide expert advice and support to bidders and inject new thinking on how eco-towns could be best delivered in each of the 15 short listed locations. These include Rossington in South Yorkshire, where up to 15,000 homes could regenerate the former colliery village, and Leeds City Region, where a partnership of 11 authorities is focusing on several areas, principally between Leeds and Selby.
The Eco-Town Challenge Panel will throw down its challenge to bidders at its first meeting with them today.
The Panel will publish recommendations to each bidder over the comings months on how they could improve their vision for Eco-towns. Ministers will make the final decision on locations for Eco-town development based on the quality of bids and with reference to the criteria set out in the Eco-town Prospectus.
Up to ten eco-towns will be built by 2020 and Caroline Flint announced a shortlist of fifteen potential locations last month for consultation to give the public their say. Eco-towns will be zero-carbon sustainable developments of between 5,000 and 20,000 homes, which help address the twin challenges of a major shortfall in housing and tackling climate change by cutting the carbon emissions of housing.
Proposals will have to demonstrate they meet tough criteria on providing affordable housing, sustainable development including leading edge green technologies, delivering key infrastructure such as good public transport, schools and health facilities, and safeguarding local wildlife. No new homes will be built on Green Belt land and at least 30 per cent of the total new houses will be affordable housing, delivering tens of thousands more homes for those on lower incomes.
