Ford Eco-Town to be discussed

A public meeting will be held at 7pm on Monday July 6th at the St Philip Howard Catholic School, Elm Grove, Barnham. The Joint Downland Area Committee will also look at flooding, health issues and how the new National Park will affect the area. Be there if you care...

An ill wind blows no good

Question marks over their viability threaten to make eco-towns undeliverable. Ahead of a government announcement on their future next month, Chris Ames investigates. Click here...

Ghost Towns?

Housing tops Gordon Brown's Policy plans ... and not an eco-mention in sight!

Read more here.

Eco-town policy slip sparks court action

The government is being taken to court over the eco-towns policy in the South East Plan. Arun District Council has lodged a legal challenge to the policy, which states that councils should "facilitate" proposals agreed for growth points and eco-towns. It previously said they should merely "test" eco-town proposals,...

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We'll have more on this later today...

Is this the first Eco Town Scheme Obituary?

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/whatever-happened-to-eco-towns/5204103.article

This is a fantastic article by Damian Arnold - the quotations from sources close to the DCLG simply echo what we have been saying all along.

Even the Chief Exec of the Town and Country Planning Association is now hoping for just 5 towns to be announced. But the article suggests (in what sounds like a preparatory leak of policy to me) that the Homes and Communities Agency will assume responsibility for the whole programme and then quietly substitute existing urban extensions for the greenfield sites on the current list.

Not quite time to pop the champagne, but is it worth popping a couple of bottles in the chiller to be ready?

Seems to be a vote on the West Sussex Gazette's pages today

http://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/ws/West-Sussex-MPs39-expenses-revealed.5380693.jp

Can they just call this one an eco town and leave the rest of us alone?

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/displayarticle.asp?id=424458

"In a debate on housing, South Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley urged the new housing minister, John Healey, to make the 9,500-home settlement "the first exemplary eco-town".If it secures that designation, it will qualify for extra funding, including cash to make homes more energy-efficient."

Maybe they can save some face by having one 'eco town' to their name - and quietly let us get on with our lives?

Speak for yourself, mate!

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6504927

Some Planning Lawyer claiming that even the protesters want an announcement on the eco towns soon; "He added that the desire for a prompt decision was a ‘practicality point’, even for those in opposition to the development."

Don't know what you think, but the way I see it, I'm quite happy for the Government to announce nothing until there's a general election and the country can decide on it for them.

‘Delays kill projects,’ he said. In this case, it'd be a mercy killing.

Goodnight and thank you whoever...*

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6504925

A quick update - Caroline Flint went (after nine months!), Margaret Beckett went (eight months!) - next it's some chap called John Healey as Housing Minister! Any bets on how long he will last...?

Oh, and his boss is another newbie - John Denham has been appointed communities and local government secretary to replace the - frankly weird - Hazel Blears!


* That tune from Evita where the revolving door sees off a succession of used and abused lovers seems an appropriate soundtrack for this tragedy

Wish us luck as you wave us goodbye...!

We wave goodbye to Ms Flint - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/05/caroline-flint-window-dressing, the only member of the government to have taken the time to come on down to Sussex and have a a bit of a look at the villages these people want to concrete over!

And she heads towards the sunset accompanied by Margaret Beckett - the Beeb website says:

1550 Margaret Beckett is no longer housing minister, the BBC understands.

Sign for change - or not?

Now here's an opportunity to dump Eco-Towns, Gordzilla and all those expenses diddlers.

Captain Cameron has launched a webpage - SIGN FOR CHANGE... It sez, 'We want everyone - whether they support Labour, the LibDems, or the Nationalists, or no party - to join in. Through the power of our collective pressure, we can force Gordon Brown to act'.

A far easier option would be to send Patsy round to give Gordo his P45!

Margaret Backett's latest press conference

From the Building News website....

Housing minister Margaret Beckett said today it was possible that no eco-towns will end up being built if the government decides not to take forward any proposals.

At a joint press conference this morning with Yvette Cooper, chief secretary of the Treasury, Beckett said that work on eco-towns was progressing, with an announcement expected by the summer.

She would not say how many she expected there to be, but said: “I will say this: that if no schemes meet the standards required then there will not be any names coming forward.

“But, I would be very disappointed, and somewhat surprised, if that was the case.”

She said they had deliberately slowed down the consultation due to the court challenge that was brought by opponents to the scheme, and that “much had been read into that”.

However, Beckett said: “I am sorry in one sense that there are some proposals that have already been judged to be unlikely to reach the standards that we expect.

“But it’s got to meet high environmental standards, and I don’t regret the process.”

The two ministers said they believed the gap between the economic policies of the two parties was “bigger now than at any point since before the Thatcher years”.

Beckett said the Homes and Communities Agency was in the process of deciding which regeneration schemes would receive funding from the £400m Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme announced in the Budget in April.

Bids will be accepted until 8 June, with the successful bidders announced in July.

More than 30,000 people have registered their interest in the government’s HomeBuy Direct scheme, which aims to help first-time buyers by giving them an equity loan of 30% of the purchase price, which is funded between the government and the developer.

Speaking ahead of this week’s European elections, the pair said the measures taken by Labour to kickstart stalled regeneration schemes, boost the economy and help stave off repossessions would help Britain come through the recession “sooner and stronger”.

Cooper accused the Conservative approach to the credit crunch as being “Thatcherism with a smoother sales pitch”.

Ford eco town protestors on the DCLG's website

http://ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk/have-your-say/latest-feedback/video/17/

Good to see that the DCLG had the guts to put the videos that Vicky, myself and others recorded at their roadshow last year.

Let's hope that they watched and took note as well!

ECO-TOWN ADVERT JUDGED MISLEADING BY WATCHDOG

A victory for the eco town protesters at Stratford on Avon fighting the Long Marston eco town proposals.

It's interesting to read the details and compare the kind of claims that the developers there make and realise how similar they are to those made by the businesses promoting Ford eco town!

Here is their Press Release:

The credibility of plans to build an ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston have 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 provision and meeting local housing need.

In its ruling, published today, the ASA upholds each of Peter’s four complaints, concluding that:

“The ad must not appear again in its current form. The claims must not be repeated unless St Modwen and The Bird Group have evidence that supports them.”

Commenting Peter said:

“I welcome the ASA’s ruling. It is of fundamental importance that the public know the truth about the impact of the proposed ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston. I am delighted that the ASA has exposed the serious shortcomings of the claims.

“An ‘eco-town’ at Long Marston would be an economic, social and environmental disaster – it must not be allowed to go ahead.

“Surely ministers will soon realise that enough is enough. I still hope that the Long Marston site will be ditched eventually, but the Government seems determined to squander more money and resources in vain attempts to keep it alive.

Eco towns to be ruled by the Bin Bullies

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5379041/Householders-in-eco-towns-face-charges-for-rubbish-collection.html

The Town and Country Planning Association are encouraging eco town developers to charge people for their rubbish by weight and type. So it'll be the Ford eco town and surrounding fly tipping site!

Nice.

Inside an Eco Home...

An interesting clip on the BBC about the eco-pod home designed by www.ecohab.co.uk. Imagine Ford filled with these - invasion of the mole hills! Of course we have all seen the eco house plans from our friends proposing an Eco town at Ford haven't we?

MPs urge Housing Minister to reject Ford eco-town

Just got this press release from the MP Nick's!

West Sussex MPs Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs) and Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton) met with Housing Minister Margaret Beckett last week (28 April) to restate their opposition to an ‘eco-town’ at Ford.

The Government is still considering proposals to build at least 5,000 houses at Ford, despite overwhelming opposition from local residents, councils, businesses and MPs.

At the meeting, Mrs Beckett said that she was unable to comment in detail about the proposals for Ford in advance of a decision on the final shortlist of eco-towns, expected later this summer.

The Minister said there were "no numbers in [her] head as to what would be a politically acceptable" number of eco-towns to announce. The criterion was whether a site met the required standard. While Ford was a candidate, Mrs Beckett conceded that there were issues which needed to be addressed, including transport which was “particularly difficult”.

Mrs Beckett rejected Mr Herbert and Mr Gibb’s contention that the planned number of 11,300 houses for Arun was too high, but she confirmed that, if the eco-town at Ford were to go ahead, the 5,000 houses could be subtracted from the overall target.

There was some debate as to whether an eco-town would go ahead if it made the final list but Arun District Council nevertheless decided to allocate housing elsewhere in the District. The Minister suggested that it might not, saying that this was subject to local decision-making. However, the MPs queried this, since a go-ahead for an eco-town would be a green light to developers, and said that they would write to Mrs Beckett for formal clarification of the position.

Nick Herbert commented: “Even though the Minister was unable to respond in any detail, we at least had the opportunity to set out the strong case against the eco-town once again. We are all desperately hoping that Ford will be knocked off the final list when it is published later this summer.”

Mr Herbert added: “The Government don’t seem to be able to answer the point that if they would allow the 5,000 houses to come off Arun’s housing target anyway, there’s absolutely no reason why they should dictate where this housing should go. The decisions about where to build houses are bound to be difficult ones and they should be left to the elected local authority to take.”

Nick Gibb commented: “After more than a year of uncertainty and worry for the communities and villages of Yapton, Ford and Climping about whether their beautiful environment will be concreted over by a so-called eco-town, I hope the end of the consultation process will also mark the end of this uncertainty.

“An insane policy dreamt up by Gordon Brown for a speech, carried out by a succession of hapless ministers and promoted by property developers, it is now time to bring the matter to a close and rule out Ford as a site for an eco-town once and for all.”

The meeting with Mrs Beckett took place just before the Government’s public consultation on eco-towns closed on Thursday (30 April). Mr Herbert and Mr Gibb have presented a joint submission to the Government in which they have reiterated their strong objection to an eco-town at Ford.

Henry Cleary's acknowledgement

By e-mail
Mrs V C Newman
Chairman
Communities Against Ford Eco-town
PO Box 123
Arundel
West Sussex BN18 8BF
1 May 2009

Dear Mrs Newman

Eco-towns consultation

I wanted to write to you to acknowledge receipt of the consultation response that you e-mailed and sent us on behalf of Communities Against Ford Eco-town (CAFÉ) on 27 April, and also the postcards that CAFÉ supporters sent to us around the end of last year.

The consultation response and all the postcards that we received are being included as part of the consultation. Unfortunately it was not possible for us to acknowledge each postcard individually at the time, but I did want to provide you with assurance that they were received, and the views they set out will be taken into consideration.

As you know the consultation came to an end on 30 April and we will now consider all the responses to the consultation along with the findings of the assessment work that has been undertaken. After the final Eco-towns Planning Policy Statement is issued any location which is identified as having potential will still need to go through the planning process and will need to submit a planning application, which will be for local authorities to determine, and this will provide further opportunity for local consultation.

I would be grateful if you could share this letter with members and supporters of CAFÉ.

Yours sincerely
HENRY CLEARY

Here comes the Eco Quarter!

Received an interesting email this morning with this letter attached. Its being delivered to residents in Bognor and surrounding areas. As you can see the letter has a nice green logo to emphasise the "greenness"of bulldozing more countryside to build some more familiar "eco houses" - this time an "eco" quarter instead of an Eco-Town!
 
It has a familiar ring about it - paragraph two has those old chestnuts "sustainable development", "associated employment" "community facilities" and no, I can't stand it "40% landscaped open space" where there is at present 100% open countryside planned by Mother Nature! You will see at the bottom of the page a familiar name - Langmead.  Say no more...

We're all invited to an exhibition on May 8th and 9th.
Friday May 8th
Bersted Parish Council Community Centre,
Chalcraft Lane, North Bersted, Bognor Regis
The exhibition runs from 5.30pm - 8.00pm.

Saturday May 9th
The Regis Centre, The Gallery Room
The exhibition runs from 11.00am - 4.00pm.

Here is a link to a rather swanky brochure (4.3MB PDF document)

Green Issues Communications is a specialist consultation company that is facilitating open engagement with the community and its representatives on this scheme. There is a very basic unprofessional website here www.greenissues.com/breq/

Thanks to the nice lady who sent this...

We have a Widget!

The nice Mr G has been knee deep developing stuff... During a mammoth code marathon spectacular I came up with a widget for all my friendly Mac users against Ford Eco-Town to stick on their desktops - keeping them up to date via RSS... Download the widget here (MAC ONLY)

Any windows widget developers out there who want to make code love for Vista then lets get it on... Haha... silly...

Middle Quinton decision put off until 'the end of the year'

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2009/04/20/controversial-eco-town-decision-delayed-again-97319-23424394/

I have no problem with the campaigners against the Middle Quinton Eco Town - the BARD campaign have been very succesful in getting the issues into the media, and into the Courts.

But if the Government are going to put off a decision for them until the end of the year, perhaps they could also do the same for us?

UKIP Eco-Town Meeting 17 April 2009

The UK Independence Party of Bognor Regis & Littlehampton are holding a public meeting regarding the proposed Eco-Town at Ford Airfield. Speakers are Douglas Denny, local prospective Parliamentary candidate for UKIP, Tam Large, John Wallace and Phil Lee.

The meeting takes place on Friday 17 April 2009 7.30pm at Climping Village Hall.

Click for more UKIP...

Aldingbourne in outright rejection of housing proposals as unsustainable

A firm 'no' to thousands of homes has been given by Aldingbourne councillors. They have formally told Arun District Council about their opposition to its proposal to earmark land around the Westergate, Barnham and Eastergate area for 2,500 homes.

The idea is one of three options for new housing before 2026 which Arun District Council had issued for consultation. It has alarmed villagers and Aldingbourne Parish Council reflected that opposition in its formal comments to the district council.

John Penfold, (pictured), the parish council's chairman, said: "It has taken nearly 1,000 years for Aldingbourne to reach its current size. Click here to read the dull story in full...

Thousands comment on Arun's large-scale housing plans

Thousands of residents have commented on Arun's proposals for major housing developments and plans for new jobs, community facilities and better transport links. The seven-week consultation on the blueprint which could shape the district up to 2026 drew responses from more than 3,000 people. Click here for more...

Local Government Association Warns that Eco Towns may be illegal

More from the Telegraph today - and a nicely chosen photgraph on the link below!

"New legal advice the Local Government Association (LGA) has commissioned suggests eco-towns could be illegal because of a failure to consult properly.

The LGA said the towns should be reconsidered in areas where there was strong local opposition."


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/5114784/Eco-towns-cannot-go-ahead-without-support-of-local-community-say-townhalls.html