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Politics & Opinion
John Healey unveils proposals for second wave of eco-towns
1 December 2009
Housing Minister John Healey has today announced proposals for a second wave of world leading eco-towns and pledged to double the money to a total of £10m to support councils in developing their plans.
In July, Mr Healey announced that four locations had met the tough standards to become eco-towns. Today, the Housing Minister announced that a further nine local authorities are considering plans to develop new communities to eco-town standards.
These major new developments will need to meet the pioneering green standards set out in the eco-towns planning policy statement published in July. Proposals for sustainable developments need to include 5,000 homes and demonstrate innovative ideas for how jobs, schools and services are delivered in low carbon ways that will help in the UK respond to climate change.
Healey is backing the expressions of interest from nine local authorities with up to £10m. The potential second wave eco-town proposals are:
- Schemes at Shoreham Harbour in West Sussex and Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, where there is an opportunity to redesign elements of the existing projects to meet even higher... Read More...
John Healey: Green light given on eco-town sites plus tougher standards for future homes
16 July 2009
Greener living in Britain's first eco-towns will become a reality for up to 30,000 people in five years' time, as Housing Minister John Healey today announced the four sites that have passed the Government's tough standards to go through to the next planning phase, full public consultation and local planning approval.
Alongside the plans for eco-towns, Mr Healey announced tougher new energy standards for all new homes from 2016 to be zero carbon and launched a review to combine the Government's climate change and renewable energy planning policy statements.
With more than a quarter of Britain's CO2 emissions produced from homes, the announcements are a major step towards meeting the Government's green policy pledges and Britain's transition to a low carbon country.
The successful eco-town sites will pioneer innovative design and infrastructure for greener living. They are Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell (China Clay) in Cornwall, Rackheath... Read More...
Peter Luff comments on eco-town announcement
16 July 2009
END OF “MIDDLE QUINTON” NIGHTMARE COMES CLOSER, BUT IT’S NOT OVER YET
The Government's decision today (Thursday) to scale down the ‘eco-town' project by building just four of the ten towns previously proposed has been welcomed by Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff as a step in the right direction. However, he also warned that, despite initial appearances, this does not mean plans for an ‘eco-town' at Long Marston have yet been scrapped.
The Government has today given the go-ahead to building ‘eco-towns' at four sites where they have strong support from their local authorities. But they are still seeking public views on "Middle Quinton".
Using the same criteria it should have been safe to assume that the Government would abandon plans to build an ‘eco-town' at Long Marston, which is opposed by Wychavon and Stratford-upon-Avon District Councils, the two local authorities responsible... Read More...
DEVELOPERS' ECO-TOWN ADVERT JUDGED MISLEADING BY WATCHDOG
27 May 2009
The credibility of plans to build an ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston has today been delivered another blow.
The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that an advertisement from the developers setting out the case was misleading on four separate counts on grounds of "truthfulness" and "substantiation".
The ASA's ruling comes after a complaint lodged by Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff about an advert taken out in a local newspaper by the developers St. Modwen and Bird Group. The advert attempted to promote the arguments for the construction of the proposed 6,000 home new town on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border.
Peter condemned the advert as "both factually wrong and materially misleading" and highlighted the false claims, including one that the site is unused brownfield land, where in reality around two-thirds of the Worcestershire land ear-marked for development is greenfield and open countryside. In his complaint, Peter went on to challeng claims that the new town will create 4700 new jobs. He also complained about claims for the town relating to transport... Read More...
Local authorities respond to consultation on 'Middle Quinton'
7 April 2009
Read the joint response to the second consultation from the local authorities concerned with the proposed eco-town at Long Marston.
ECO-TOWNS – SECOND STAGE CONSULTATON
RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT PLANNING POLICY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS
The six local authorities directly affected by the Middle Quinton proposal have prepared a Joint Response to the second stage consultation. This response has been endorsed by the District Council and submitted to Communities and Local Government for consideration. Notwithstanding the additional information that has been produced as part of the second stage consultation, the Councils remain opposed to this proposal.
The key elements of the joint response are summarised below:
Because of their strategic significance the PPS should include a clear statement that eco-towns would only be acceptable where they... Read More...
NEW ‘ECO-TOWN’ DELAY “COULD BE GOOD NEWS”
21 April 2009
The Government “is playing for time while they desperately try to salvage some credibility from their doomed ‘eco-town’ project at Long Marston”, Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff believes.
He expressed his views after the Government announced that it had again put off a decision on the proposed “eco-town” by judging it within the wider regional spatial strategy review process. This means that the future of the site at Long Marston will now not be decided until an undetermined date towards the end of the year.
Commenting Peter said:
“The decision on whether to build the ludicrously named Middle Quinton development was originally due in October 2008. This has been repeatedly pushed back, and last week seems effectively to have been kicked into the long grass.
“Over recent months it has become increasingly clear that an ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston is neither suitable, sustainable nor wanted. Independent report after independent report has confirmed what local people have been saying all along: that a development of the proposed scale will be an environmental, economic...
Read More...
‘ECO-TOWNS’ NOT JUST WRONG, BUT UNLAWFUL
6 April 2009
The Government’s ‘eco-town’ project has been dealt another humiliating hammer-blow, and must now be abandoned in favour of a truly sustainable and well thought-through house building programme, according to Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, who represents part of the Long Marston site ear-marked for development.
Peter was commenting after senior lawyers, all leading QCs, acting for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), said that the ‘eco-town’ projects could be unlawful, because they will be allowed to bypass normal planning procedures.
Commenting Peter said:
“The Government’s ‘eco-town’ project is now becoming so discredited that it is a wonder they still have the courage to defend it.
“In the past few weeks the concept has been severely criticised by a committee of cross-party MPs, and the planned development at Long Marston has been blasted in four separate, independent reports by experts, which showed it would add to transport congestion in the area and leave a £300 million funding black hole.
“For most governments that would be enough to send them back to the drawing board. Now we have Queen’s Counsels warning that the project...
Read More...
Eco-Towns Policy May Have Unlawful Consequences
6 April 2009
Campaign to Protect Rural England press release
A legal opinion [1] for countryside campaigners, CPRE [2], released today (Monday) casts further doubt on the legality of the Government’s proposed policy on eco-towns. [3] This policy needs radical revision if the Government is to avoid future legal challenges. [4]
It is now clear that the proposed policy flies in the face of established procedures whereby communities agree the level and location of new development through development plans.
According to John Hobson QC, CPRE’s Honorary Standing Counsel, by identifying selected sites outside the development plan process, ‘and requiring that they be given “material weight” the Government would be usurping the function of the local planning authorities and distorting the... Read More...
Eco town approach 'bypassing local democracy'`
6 April 2009
Local Government Association press release
Council leaders have today called on the government to reconsider proposed eco town developments where there is strong local authority opposition.
The call was made after independent legal advice revealed the government's approach to building eco towns could be subject to judicial review. The Local Government Association asked John Steel QC to refresh opinion he gave in July 2008 on the eco town proposals, in which he concluded that 'the government is bypassing local democracy and planning processes to impose the schemes on the public'.
Further legal opinion was sought following updated information published by the government and the BARD campaign's (1) failed attempt to seek a judicial review of the eco towns policy. John Steel QC concludes that the government's plans... Read More...
Letter to the Shadow Cabinet
10 March 2009
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Cabinet Member and Member for Stour and The Vale and BARD Executive member writes to Caroline Spelman and Grant Shapps regarding the Middle Quinton eco-town proposal.
As member of Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet, I feel I must inform you about the critical importance of the timescales of the Examination in Public of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) Phase 2 Revision for the 'Middle Quinton' eco-town proposal at Long Marston Depot, i.e. a 240 hectare site largely in Warwickshire but also including a part of Worcestershire. This is a proposal that we firmly oppose.
Between the months of April to June 2009, an Examination in Public (EiP) will be examining the Middle Quinton proposal. The independent panel of two planning experts are expected to report in September or October 2009 and the Secretary of State is then expected to propose modifications and finally decide on the Regional Spatial Strategy Phase 2 revision around this time next year.
The final announcements of the panel are likely to be published in early autumn. This however will be after the current expected announcement on final eco-town sites... Read More...
Yet another blow for "eco-towns”
9 March 2009
“The ‘eco-town’ project is dead in the water. The Government must stop trying to resuscitate it and let it go” says Peter Luff MP
“The ‘eco-town’ project is dead in the water. The Government must stop trying to resuscitate it and let it go”. That’s the view of Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, who has been fighting plans to build an ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston, which lies partly in his constituency.
Peter’s comments come in response to a report published by the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee which pours scorn on the ‘eco town project’. In their report, the Committee conclude:
“The eco-town policy is clearly in some difficulty…This policy appears to be one of the victims of the Department’s weaknesses in engaging and enthusing its delivery partners.”
The report continues:
“Putting this policy back on track to deliver the Prime Minister’s early claims for it will be a difficult task and a...
Read More...
STRATFORD MP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST 'EXCESSES' OF ECOTOWN SCHEME
4 March 2009
John Maples comments on the latest eco-town news
John Maples has welcomed the extension of the eco-town consultation until 30th April 2009 but, commenting on the current £3 million cost of the eco-town scheme, the local MP said, 'At a time when everyone is tightening their belts, it is frankly a scandal that this Government has spent such excessive amounts, even before one house has been built. With £1 million spent on PR and communications, we need to cut through the rhetoric and get to the cold hard facts.'
The £720,000 spent on financial assessments is particularly interesting. I have been pressing the Government to release the PWC report on the financial viability of Middle Quinton. There have been rumours that its publication is imminent and I would certainly welcome this development. We need to have an open debate about whether Middle Quinton is financially viable or not. The recent £373 million deficit in the CB Richard Ellis report would seem to suggest that it is not.
... Read More...
CLC Annual Report 2008
4 March 2009
Eco-towns policy is "clearly in some difficulty" according to CLG Select Committee report published today
Extract from the Communities and Local Government Committee Select Committee Press Release:
Department needs to grow into a "big hitter" if it is to effectively deliver key policies
Despite improvements in effectiveness, delivery is still patchy as shown by the Department of Communities and Local Government's problems in implementing key policies such as eco-towns, the Decent Homes programme and Home Information Packs.
This is the conclusion of a Communities and Local Government Select Committee report published today (Wednesday 3 March) into the work of the Department over the last year which says the Department must grow into one of the Government "big hitters" if it is to fully achieve its policy objectives.
The Committee also highlights how accounting... Read More...
Finally, CLG rectifies mistake
3 March 2009
The DCLG has now revised the consultation summary annex of respondents after BARD queried their omission in November 2008.
BARD
Hilary Bliss
Via E-mail
Eco-towns: Living a Greener Future Consultation Summary; Annex of Respondents
Dear Hilary,
On 12/11/2009 you informed us that Better Accessible Responsible Development (BARD) had been omitted from the annex of respondents to the Living A Greener Future round of eco-towns consultation on pages 53-61, of the document Eco-towns: Living a greener future- Summary of consultation responses (4 November 2008)- please accept our apologies.
This omission does not, however, mean either that the original submission of BARD was in any way insufficient to merit a mention, or that we have not thoroughly considered this submission. We have considered your original submission, and it has informed the Eco-towns Programme in the same manner as all other responses.
In order to rectify this omission, however, we have updated the annex of respondent organisations in the Living a Greener Future- Summary of Consultation... Read More...
'ECO-TOWN' KILLER BLOW
27 February 2009
Plans to build a so-called ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston have been dealt a “humiliating and perhaps deadly blow” according to Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff.
In a series of parliamentary questions he has asked the housing minister, Margaret Becket, urgently to examine the implications of these detailed studies. “Surely,” Peter said, “she will conclude it is now time to put local people out of their misery end stop all further work on the scheme.”
Peter was commenting after the publication of the last of four recent reports on different aspects of the proposal commissioned by the six relevant district and county councils of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. All of the reports concluded that the Long Marston site is unsuitable for an ‘eco-town’.
The four reports – carried out separately and by different, independent organisations – consist of a strategic transport assessment, a retail capacity assessment, a financial viability assessment and an economic evaluation of the proposal.
Peter explained,
John Maples urges constituents to take action against Middle Quinton
12 February 2009
‘We must ensure that Middle Quinton is not steamrollered through to satisfy central Government policy but we need all possible help.
The people of Stratford must make their voices heard. If we miss this opportunity then we risk having to live with more traffic congestion, increased demand on Stratford’s services and the loss of our green and pleasant land. Not to mention the question mark over the financial viability of the scheme.
The consultation is due to close on the 6th March 2009, although this may be extended due to the judicial review. However I urge you to take action now by either:
- Filling out the online consultation form on the DCLG website - http://ecotownssurvey.communities.gov.uk/home/
- Writing to Margaret Beckett (Eco-towns Team, Department of Communities and Local Government, Zone 2/G9, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU)
- Signing and sending a BARD postcard which will be dropping through your... Read More...
Shapps quizzes Blears on eco-town costs
10 February 2009
Conservative Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps has challenged the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears to provide information on the costs of the eco-town initiative.
Shapps has posed two parliamentary written questions, the first on the costs incurred by local authorities which have a proposed eco-town site in their area and the second on how much the Department for Communities and Local Government has spent on the eco-town initiative to date.
MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer in order to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of a government department. Although usually questions are answered within seven days there is no parliamentary rule that states ordinary written questions have to be answered by a certain date.
The answer to a previous written question posed by the Shadow Minister revealed that the Department of Communities and Local Government spent £76,786 on the set up of website http://ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk and £6,000 in maintenance costs.
These questions indicate the Conservatives ongoing scepticism about...
Read More...
Is Middle Quinton even Financially Viable?
12 February 2009
Stratford MP seeks answers from the government
Stratford-on-Avon MP John Maples has persisted in seeking detailed information on the financial viability of the Middle Quinton proposal.
John Maples MP has yet to receive a satisfactory answer from the government about why they have so far failed to make available a report on the financial viability of the proposed Middle Quinton eco-town.
Important information still to be released
The financial viability report is part of the assessment of schemes and locations of the proposed eco-towns.
The government appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers to assess the feasibility of the individual eco-town schemes being proposed. Each report should include appraisals of the financial model for each scheme, infrastructure requirements, their cost and the potential for these to be paid for by development.
Part of the financial viability assessment is to take on board the views of other interested parties, in particular the...
Read More...
Politicians Respond to High Court Ruling
28 January 2009
Opposition to the eco-towns programme has not been deterred by a ruling in the Government's favour
On 27 January the BARD Campaign lost its High Court challenge over the Government’s eco-town project.
Mr Justice Walker rejected the complaint that there had been a failure to consult the public properly over the policy to build “environmentally-friendly” towns to meet housing shortages and stressed the project was “at a relatively early stage and there would be future opportunities for consultation”.
However, despite this ruling, political opponents of the eco-towns programme were not deterred.
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said after the ruling:
"The very fact that this has gone to the High Court demonstrates how out of touch the Government are with local communities.
"To build the environmentally-friendly homes that the country needs, we need to work with local people not against them.
"Yet, with eco-towns, ministers seem intent on trampling over local communities as they...
Read More...
Campaign to Protect Rural England responds to High Court ruling
28 January 2009
On 27 January the BARD Campaign lost its High Court challenge over the Government’s eco-town project.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said it was "disappointed" by the judge's ruling.
A spokesman said: "The way the Government has gone about selecting potential eco-town locations, by-passing normal planning procedures, and dismissing sustainable alternatives, such as redeveloping or extending existing urban areas is worrying."
The Government criteria for eco-towns stipulated they must be freestanding new settlements.
The spokesman added: "Communities rely on the planning system as a basis for fair, accountable decision making.
"The consultation process to date has been flawed in key respects and is largely at odds with the system."
For more information on CPRE and their campaigns, see their website: http://www.cpre.org.uk/home
Read More...
Those For and Against 'Middle Quinton'
Find out who is for and against the building of an eco-town at the Long Marston site
For
Bird Group (co-developer)
St Modwen (co-developer)
Against
Admington Parish Council
Badsey Parish Council
Barton Parish Council
Binton Parish Council
Broadway Town Council
Campaign for Better Transport
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Carfree UK
Centre for Cities
Chipping Campden Town Council
Clifford Chambers Parish Council
Cotswold Conservation Board
Cotswold District Council
Country Land & Business Association
Coventry City Council
Dorsington Parish Council
English Regions Network
Evesham Town Council
Federation of Master Builders
Friends of the Earth
Honeybourne Parish Council
Illmington Parish Council
Local Government Association
Leicester City Council
Long Marston Parish Council
Mickleton Parish Council
Pebworth Parish Council
Planning Officers Society
Preston On Stour Parish Council
Liberal Democrats oppose Government eco-towns policy
The Liberal Democrats have reaffirmed the party's opposition to the Government's eco-town policy
The Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference today re-affirmed the party’s opposition to the Government’s misguided eco-towns policy.
A motion passed by Conference included:
- Opposition to the development of the Government's free-standing eco-towns
- Support for new housing to allow more people to get a foot on the housing ladder
- Opposition to the development of new settlements in the green belt
- A belief that planned and approved developments should be more environmentally and socially sustainable
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Housing spokesperson, Lembit Öpik said:
"Instead of ensuring all our towns and cities are sustainable, the Government is using the green facade of eco-towns to bypass the planning system and ignore local needs and concerns.
"By presenting these developments as eco-friendly when they are only required to meet moderate environmental standards, ministers are... Read More...
Legal challenge to eco-towns
Council leaders call for Government to have new approach to eco-towns
Council leaders are today calling for the Government to enter discussions about a new approach to environmentally friendly housing development. This follows publication of advice by leading lawyers arguing that the Government’s current approach is open to serious legal challenge.
John Steel QC and James Strachan were asked to examine the legal issues surrounding eco-town proposals to provide expert advice to councils, some of whom support proposals in their areas.
In a Joint Opinion published today, they explain that there are “sound grounds” for seeking judicial review of the Government’s approach to delivering eco-towns.
They say:
“We are of the opinion that the government’s proposed promotion of eco-towns through a new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) is contrary to the basic principle – expressed through the planning legislation - of the plan-led system of development...
Read More...
Luff slams Government Eco-town survey spin
MP Peter Luff brands the Government as being "staggeringly deceitful" over Eco-towns
Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff today branded the results of a Government-commissioned survey on eco-towns that claimed public support for the idea as “staggeringly deceitful”.Since the publication of the survey at the end of June the Government has been arguing that the eco-town concept has wide support among the public. However, answers to parliamentary questions tabled by Peter and fellow MP Edward Garnier (Harborough) reveal that the survey is so flawed that the results are effectively meaningless.
Commenting Peter said:
“By claiming the eco-town concept has public support, the Government is being staggeringly deceitful.
“First, the people asked about eco-towns in this survey lived nowhere near them, so knew nothing about the details. It’s hardly surprising that if you ask people about anything “eco” they will say they like it.
“But second, and perhaps even... Read More...
Lessons to be learnt from the New Towns, say MPs
MPs criticise Government over lack of evaluation concerning New Towns
MPs have criticised the Government for never fully evaluating New Towns despite its major plans to create 3 million new homes and a series of eco-towns.
In a report following up a previous select committee inquiry on New Towns carried out in 2002, the Communities and Local Government Committee says such research is needed:
1. To identify the steps which are needed to maintain the post-war New Towns as successful communities and good places to live.
The original 2002 report had commented: “While many New Towns have been economically successful, most now are experiencing major problems. Their design is inappropriate to the 21st century, their infrastructure is ageing at the same rate and many have social and economic problems.”
Today the Committee echoes that view and says New Towns have special and particular needs.... Read More...
The English Regions Network voice Eco-town concerns
Following Government's consultation
Eco-towns Team
Housing and Growth Programmes
Department for Communities and Local Government
2/H9 Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
27th June 2008
Dear Sir/Madam
Consultation on Eco-towns: Living A Greener Future
The English Regions Network (ERN) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government's consultation on Eco-towns: Living A Greener Future.
The ERN is the umbrella organisation for England's eight Regional Assemblies to Government and other key national and European institutions, encourages new thinking and research on the regional agenda, and shares best practice and facillities inter-regional netowrking amongst Assemblies.
The ERN support the high environmental standards being promoted in the eco-town concept but have strong concerns relating to the:
- Process for... Read More...
The Country Land & Business Association responds to the Government's Eco-town consultation
Download the full report here...
A new document sets out the Country Land & Business Association's response to the Government's Eco-town consultation "Living a Greener Future".
Download the full report here
Britain needs to build the right houses in the right places
Centre for Cities calls for the Government to fulfill their pledge on housing
A new report from the Centre for Cities calls on the government to deliver on its pledge to build 3 million new homes by 2020, by tailoring new housing to the needs of city economies. Only by building from accurate assessments of local housing markets will the government deliver the homes Britain's economy needs.
Taking a uniform national approach to the government's "3 million homes" target, and simply increasing the overall supply of housing, will not fix the wide range of economic challenges faced by Britain's towns and cities. Houses need to be built in response to the economic needs of individual cities - some (such as Cambridge or Bristol) have problems with affordability and supply, but others (eg Hull, Sunderland and Bradford) need to focus on widening the range of private housing on offer to local people.
Today's report, Home Economics: How Housing Shapes City Economies, recommends that cities should plan new housing supply based on a better understanding... Read More...
Government must let local people make planning desicions - Opik
Give more power to local people says Liberal Democrats Housing Minster Lembit Opik
Commenting on today’s report by think tank Centre for Cities, which warns that the Government must do more to involve local people in planning new developments, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Öpik said:
"Today’s report simply confirms what we all know - that the Government needs to empower local people to make planning decisions for themselves.
"Ministers are convinced that their misguided eco-towns policy and centralised targets are the solution. They must consider allowing local authorities to work out how best to address local needs."
Read More...
Housing minister Caroline Flint promises to visit eco-town site
Housing Minster to visit eco-town site after acknowledging several major issues
John Maples, MP for Stratford on Avon met the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint, yesterday evening to discuss the possible new eco town at Long Marston. “I said that the BARD campaign had done an enormous amount of work on the issues involved including several professional studies and that this constituted our response to her consultation. I had the document with me and she promised that her officials would study it as a serious contribution to the debate. I also asked her personally to read the 37 page summary which she promised to do” said John Maples.
“We discussed the various issues including transport, social housing, damage to a beautiful rural area, conflict with other government and local planning policies, car use, sustainability, flooding, the size of the site, etc and she said all these would be taken into account in reaching her decision” said the MP. She acknowledged that there were problems with the site, not least the... Read More...
Latest Entries
- John Healey unveils proposals for second wave of eco-towns
- John Healey: Green light given on eco-town sites plus tougher standards for future homes
- Peter Luff comments on eco-town announcement
- DEVELOPERS' ECO-TOWN ADVERT JUDGED MISLEADING BY WATCHDOG
- Local authorities respond to consultation on 'Middle Quinton'
- NEW ‘ECO-TOWN’ DELAY “COULD BE GOOD NEWS”
- ‘ECO-TOWNS’ NOT JUST WRONG, BUT UNLAWFUL
- Eco-Towns Policy May Have Unlawful Consequences
- Eco town approach 'bypassing local democracy'`
- Letter to the Shadow Cabinet
- Yet another blow for "eco-towns”
- STRATFORD MP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST 'EXCESSES' OF ECOTOWN SCHEME
- CLC Annual Report 2008
- Finally, CLG rectifies mistake
- 'ECO-TOWN' KILLER BLOW
- John Maples urges constituents to take action against Middle Quinton
- Shapps quizzes Blears on eco-town costs
- Is Middle Quinton even Financially Viable?
- Politicians Respond to High Court Ruling
- Campaign to Protect Rural England responds to High Court ruling
- Those For and Against 'Middle Quinton'
- Liberal Democrats oppose Government eco-towns policy
- Legal challenge to eco-towns
- Luff slams Government Eco-town survey spin
- Lessons to be learnt from the New Towns, say MPs
- The English Regions Network voice Eco-town concerns
- The Country Land & Business Association responds to the Government's Eco-town consultation
- Britain needs to build the right houses in the right places
- Government must let local people make planning desicions - Opik
- Housing minister Caroline Flint promises to visit eco-town site