New eco-town standards raise bar for green builders

Building firms may struggle to meet tough new planning standards for eco-towns set by the government yesterday while remaining in budget, according to experts.

The government yesterday announced criteria for potential towns which would require developers to require developers to deliver zero carbon buildings and facilities, and ensure 40 per cent of green space is set aside in the new towns.

Green groups are likely to welcome the tough new rules, but David Pitcher, a director at the Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities, warned that developers will struggle to meet the higher standards in the current economic climate.

"The new planning standards says that planning applications have to demonstrate how an eco-town will achieve zero carbon status," he said. "This creates more front-loading on the costs and means that in order to meet the planning system requirements developers have to lay out more money up front, even before they know if they have planning permission."

A government commissioned report from environmental consultancy Scott Wilson found that only one of 12 shortlisted sites can demonstrate how they will meet the standards. In particular, the report highlighted the challenge of meeting the zero carbon requirement when many of the resident at the proposed developments are likely to be dependent on cars for transport.

Following the release of the report, housing minister Margaret Beckett vetoed one site in Leeds yesterday, adding to the three projects already withdrawn.

The news raises fears that the government will not manage to build the 10 new towns for England that it planned to be nearing completion or well under way by 2020.

The government has added two more sites in Oxford and Norwich to the shortlist and having delayed the final decision once, is now expected to finalise the list of selected sites early next spring.

Beckett insisted yesterday that the government remained fully committed to the project. "Developing a greener approach to our housing need is crucial and eco-towns are a vital part of this programme," she said.

However, she admitted that some of the short listed sites were unlikely to meet the new stricter environmental criteria. "The eco-town standards are tough and I think some of these shortlisted schemes could struggle to meet them," she said.

John Alker of the Green Building Council said the standards were tough but not unacceptably so.

"They need to be this high to set the standards going forward," he said. " But the government must look at how it can play a role in helping construction companies meet standards, for example being flexible on the price of brownfield sites."