In a recent response to the Government’s Draft Planning Policy Statement on Eco-towns, CIWEM raises its concerns over whether eco-towns will further the aims of sustainable development.

Eco-towns are proposed as a response to the challenges of climate change, sustainable living and the need to increase housing supply. However, CIWEM considers that a more effective way of delivering the environmental, social and economic targets highlighted in the Government’s eco-towns proposals would be to focus on improving existing towns and cities.

From the outset, eco-towns will involve the construction of new homes, transport infrastructure and other basic services. But the UK already has potential eco-towns, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, which have the fundamentals of settled and sustainable communities such as schools, hospitals and transport.

CIWEM recognises that re-developing existing urban centres in a more sustainable form raises major challenges but, if challenging targets on carbon emissions reduction are to be met, the Government must focus on this front. CIWEM believes that a commitment of funding and retro-fitting would make these cities carbon-neutral.

CIWEM’s response says: “In the context of the UK, new housing provision as discussed by the Barker Report is simply unsustainable and wider policies relating to population growth, consumption and lifestyle must be discussed by Government as a matter of urgency. What is faced in modern times is not a housing crisis per se, but an unsustainably large population living on a small island, using resources at a far greater rate than can be replenished. 

"Building an eco-town is far easier than developing an existing town sustainably, so CIWEM suggests that this maybe the true reason for the eco-towns initiative.”