Experts Challenge Developers to Raise their Game on Eco-Towns

Fourteen leading experts yesterday challenged developers to improve their visions for eco-towns and deliver world class proposals for the first new towns in the UK for 45 years.

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.

The Eco-Town Challenge Panel threw down its challenge to bidders at its first meeting with them yesterday.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said:

'Only the best bids with the highest environmental standards stand a chance of being selected as an eco town. The Panel will have a vital role in encouraging and inspiring developers to aim as high as possible in each potential location. There are no done deals and I expect bidders to raise their game by taking on board the expert advice available to them, to make the most of this unique opportunity to deliver the affordable, greener homes our first time buyers and young families desperately need.'

The panel will address issues such as ensuring house designs are sensitive to local surroundings and create homes people want to live in, using the site's natural resources efficiently, creating a vibrant and healthy community for people of all ages, encouraging more journeys on foot, bicycle and public transport, ensuring the development makes the best use of new technologies, and improving the potential of the area to create jobs and spark an entrepreneur spirit.

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.

The fourteen members of the Eco-Towns Challenge Panel are:
* John Walker (Chair) - Former Chief Executive, British Urban Regeneration Association. Expert in delivery of large mixed use development

* Dr Liz Goodwin - Chief Executive, Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP). Expert in use of natural resources and recycling

* Stephen Hale - Director, Green Alliance. Environment expert

* Sir Peter Hall - President, Town and Country Planning Association. Expert in urban issues, housing and planning

* Wayne Hemingway - Founder, Red or Dead. Expert in design and social issues

* Stephen Joseph - Executive Director, Campaign for Better Transport. Transport expert

* Nick Mabey - Chief Executive, E3G. Expert in energy issues and economic development

* Kris Murrin - TV presenter, expert in sustainable transport and children's issues

* Sunand Prasad - Royal Institute of British Architects President. Expert in design and architecture

* Liz Reason - Director, Reasons to Be Cheerful consultancy. Expert in innovative approaches to energy issues and climate change

* Sue Riddlestone - Director, BioRegional Development Group. Expert in sustainability and sustainable development

* Joanna Yarrow - TV presenter, green-lifestyle specialist and founder of sustainability company Beyond Green

* Richard Simmons - Expert in architecture and the built environment.

* Lynda Addison - Managing Director of Addison & Associates. Transport and planning expert.