Paul Wilkinson
webmaster
Friday, October 3, 2008 12:47 |
2000 houses - are we poised to become part of a new "eco-town"?
The Leeds City Region - what's that got to do with Sutton you might ask... well, as I discovered while Googling this lunchtime - we are a part of it!
And the "Leeds City Region" is on a Government short list of locations to create a new "eco-town" by 2016 (2016, sound familiar?).
The following is taken from www.leedsconfidential.com:
"...the government shortlisted 15 potential sites for the 10 eco-towns and a final decision on 10 sites, with the new planning guidance, will be available later this year. Ministers want five created by 2016, with the other half completed by 2020. One of the shortlisted sites is Leeds City Region which confusingly comprises Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield, and York. A number of eco-town proposals have been submitted for locations within this region but a definite location has yet to be confirmed with suggestions that there is nowhere suitable. "
And the following is from an April 2008 item in the Yorkshire Evening Post:
"The concept of zero-carbon eco-towns was unveiled by Gordon Brown soon after becoming Prime Minister. At least six proposals are understood to have been put forward in Yorkshire and the Humber and 57 across the country. However, the process has been shrouded in secrecy with bids only becoming public if developers have publicised them or they have been leaked. Five new towns will be built by 2016 with a further five expected to be completed by 2020."
I'm not suggesting that this is the case, just asking the question... what if someone had the idea that a new "eco-town" could be created by building eco-friendly affordable housing within Sutton and Cross Hills to merge the separate entities into one? Target met!
If anybody has any information to support or refute this, please let me know.
Paul
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