An open letter to MP Caroline Flint

16 May 2008

Dear Ms Flint

We are writing this open letter to you to express our support for the many objective of the eco-town programme, and our concern about the shortlist of candidates.

Although each of us intends to respond to your consultation, we are writing to you now because we are concerned that promoters in shortlisted areas are being given the impression that land they own, or have an interest in is now more liekly to gain planning permission. We note that one has already submitted an application. This letter seeks reassurance on these and other points. It also requests that you seriously consider a similar initiative for eco-quarters within existing urban areas.

We believe the Eco-towns Transport Worksheet is one of the best pieces of guidance ever to emerge from a British government. We strongly support its objectives, and your statement that 'we should be following the most ambitious European models, where only half of households rely on a car". We believe you have correctly identified an issue key to the success of failure of eco-towns, both in terms of their transport objectives, and in the eyes of the general public. We want this programme to succeed, and some of us are involved in detailed work on its transport aspects.

However, one of the main criticisms of this initiative, from experts and a range of interests, not just environmental groups, is that schemes will become car dependant commuter towns. Is this claim justified? Those of us involved in the process so far believed the Transport Worksheet, together with other policies on employment and communities, could overcome this problem - that is, untill we saw the shortlist of locations...