Expert panel derides eco-town proposals

A panel of experts appointed by the government to assess the viability of its eco-town proposals has ruled that just two or three of the towns have the potential to be eco-friendly, whilst the majority are ordinary housing estates in the countryside with a green label attached.

The twelve experts on the panel said that although there was ‘much to admire’ in many of the fifteen proposals, there is also ‘a lot of work to do.’

In the most damning verdicts, one of the eco-towns was branded an extension to an existing planning application, whilst another was said to resemble a typical commercial development.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said that these criticisms will help eco-town developers to be more innovative and creative, adding that they clearly need to up their game.

The government plans to build a total of ten eco-towns, with locations to be short-listed from the current fifteen proposed sites.

Over 60,000 people have signed a petition against the plans, backed up by well-attended and frequent local protests in the proposed locations.