FAQs
Sections
Concept and Process
1. I am against the Eco-towns concept and process. Where can I register my concerns?
- Between April and June, the government department that is leading the Eco-town process, Communities and Local Government (CLG) held a consultation on the eco-town policy and asked for initial feedback on shortlisted sites.
- There is going to be further consultation expected from October on the remaining sites themselves and their ability to deliver viable eco-towns within set criteria
- Any further comments on the policy itself should be sent via your local member of parliament to the government department
2. I am unsure of the process for consultation and eco-town shortlisting
- There is a four-stage process ahead of decisions on which eco-towns will be included on a final shortlisted. Once shortlisted each will have to go through the normal democratic planning process.
- We are now beginning stage two of the government process. Stage one ran until the end of June and sought preliminary views on the eco-town concept and the shortlisted sites. The second stage will include formal consultation on a Planning Policy Statement for Eco-towns and sustainability appraisals of individual sites. Following this, stage three will see a final shortlist of sites published alongside the Policy Statement. Stage four will see shortlisted sites submit planning applications.
- The interim stage between July and September has allowed the Co-operative Group to seek views on the benefits of alternative layouts for the eco-town in Leicestershire. One of the central benefits of the process is that it allows for a tremendous amount of pre-planning scrutiny
3. How can a town be ‘eco’ when it involves building on countryside?
- The eco-town prospectus published in July 2007 set out criteria against which new eco-town developments would be assessed. It recognised both the need for new housing but also the step change that is needed across the construction sector to make every home zero-carbon by 2016.
- Leicestershire, like other areas, suffers from a chronic affordable housing shortage. ‘Eco’ in this instance is not about refusing to build on greenfield land, it is about recognising that where it has to happen, it is done so in the most sustainable way. Affordable housing and suitable housing targets are not being met and there is not enough previously developed land to meet needs.
4. I agree with the concept of eco-towns but can these houses not be built somewhere else?
- It would be difficult to build a new town with all the supporting infrastructure, green space and services on small pockets of available land elsewhere. In order to make eco-towns sustainable, they need to be planned from scratch with everything inter-linked – hence why developers with larger quantities of land, both Brownfield and Greenfield submitted proposals for eco-towns last year.
- As with any development, it is important that eco-towns can meet housing need, can provide funding for improvements to transport and services and that meet broad requirements within regional plans. The Eco-town for Leicestershire can do all of these things but in addition is exemplar because it will also deliver on-site employment, education and health services, alongside community, open space, the Great Park, farming and local food production.
The Co-operative Group and the site
1. When did the Co-operative Group become involved in the eco-town process?
- We submitted proposals in response to the government's eco-town prospectus in October 2007 in conjunction with land partners English Partnerships. These set out a business response to the twin challenge of more homes in the face of climate change and brought forward new ideas for sustainable development. These proposals were judged against the key criteria for eco-towns and were shortlisted in April 2008.
- The Co-operative Group has a strong track record in sustainable development both in terms of developing new renewable projects such as our own wind farms or in working with communities and schools to deliver sustainable technologies. ‘Eco-towns’ as a concept appealed to the Co-operative Group as it allowed us and our partners to bring years of expertise forward to help create a step change in how to deliver new homes sustainably.
2. Is the Co-operative Group on the shortlist because of historic links with the Labour Party?
- It is clear to see that our proposals have been shortlisted on merit and have received praise from a number of quarters including the independent eco-town challenge panel. This does not mean that there is still not a lot of work to undertake in terms of continuing consultation to make the proposals even better.
- We would have come forward with the proposals regardless of which party was in power such is the natural fit with our business and guiding ethics. Contrary to some reports, we do not sponsor MPs and we are an entirely separate organisation from the Co-operative Party.
3. What is the exact relationship with the Labour Party?
- The Co-operative Bank provides an array of services and banking facilities to a wide range of political groups and organisations. For example, around 30% of local government authorities, which include Councillors drawn from across the political spectrum, have some form of banking relationship with The Co-operative Bank. All these facilities, including the existing relationship with the Labour Party, are transacted entirely on a commercial basis.
- The Co-operative Group, which is the parent organisation to The Co-operative Bank, makes an annual, voluntary, declaration in its statement of accounts about any donations, in cash or kind, made to registered political parties.
- The Electoral Commission, which is the regulator of UK party and election finance, publishes public registers containing information submitted, under the terms of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, by political parties about their finances, including donations and loans. Its website can be accessed at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk.
4. Who is financing the eco-town and how much money will be made?
- As landowners, The Co-operative Group is the masterplanner for the site working in conjunction with English Partnerships. A financial assessment of all eco-town sites is being undertaken by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on behalf of CLG.
- It is too early to say how much money will be made because we do not know. As a business we are entitled to make a profit on development but it is what we do with this profit that makes us different. We are owned by our members, ordinary people in communities the length and breadth of the UK. Any financial gain from this development will be invested in our business ultimately for their benefit and that of the communities in which we trade - we are in the area for the long-term and can take a long-term approach to the development. We will not be selling up to the highest bidder and walking away.
5. Isn’t this just a ‘re-hashed’ planning application?
- We have not submitted planning applications on the site previously. The eco-town concept outlines a new process which is why we have started plans from scratch and aimed to consult at every stage – from initiatives to options and details.
- We have expressed interest in a smaller urban extension on the site previously. This was not originally included in the draft regional plan due to concerns about infrastructure. The eco-town will deliver the infrastructure, local improvements and ensure that impacts are manageable to make the site viable for development.
Layout Options
1. Please explain the different layout options and how this fits with the process
- Following the first phase of consultation, we published three alternative layouts for the eco-town on 11 July – Archipelago, Network and Compact and asked for views on the merits of these. Shortly after this, CLG asked all bidders to submit a ‘reference case’ by the end of July 2008 to enable further financial and sustainability assessments to be carried out – a variant of the Compact model was chosen as having the most potential based upon feedback from the first phase of consultation and our own technical studies.
- Further plans were submitted at the beginning of September based on the above model and are published on this site as part of the next formal stage of consultation and specific comments on these will be very much welcomed.
2. Why did you not share these layout options in the first phase of consultation?
- The work on these had not been completed until the end of June so could not be published until July. It was important that the technical studies and masterplanning could be merged with feedback from the first phase of consultation so that we were not producing options that did not accord with local priorities. Eco-towns are not ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions and take time and numerous discussions and consultation to develop.
- The first phase of the government’s consultation process was to seek preliminary views and was not intended to be about detailed plans as this will happen in phase two.
Transport
1. Without adequate public transport to the city and surrounds, will the eco-town not just increase road traffic and noise, adding to congestion problems?
- The eco-town allows for new public transport options to be delivered. This will offer genuine, sustainable choices for residents and those in surrounding settlements.
- Modelling work suggests that through design, residents can walk to their destinations or will be with in walking distance of accessible and efficient public transport. Through providing employment and services in the town many people will not be driving elsewhere to work and by increasing footpath access and cycle ways, links will be created with existing settlements and other transport hubs.
- Any eco-town bidder has to deliver the relevant transport infrastructure and our intention is to also help solve present challenges with the network such as congestion on the main routes into the city, for example with a park and ride site. There is no likely investment from existing sources for this at present but we have the land and can help fund solutions.
2. Will there be a tram and what are the timescales on delivery?
- We will plan for the delivery of a rapid bus-link into the city and this link will be future-proofed in order that it can be used by trams in the future.
- We became aware of the interest in a tram during early discussions and we continue to discuss how the eco-town could be a catalyst for the broader aims of local authorities.
Housing
1. How much affordable housing will there be?
- At least the minimum as set out in the Eco-town prospectus but this will be open to negotiation with government and other stakeholders and dependent on how more specific plans are drawn up in the process.
2. Can you explain the home ownership schemes that will be in place for residents?
- This is open to further discussion but there will be a number of different schemes as we see this as necessary and desirable to create the kind of mixed communities required by the Eco-town prospectus.
3. How can you make eco-friendly homes affordable, when they cost more to build?
- The Co-operative Group is pioneering in this area and is committed to at least the minimum affordable homes quota in the Eco-town prospectus. The critical mass of the development allows so many affordable units to be built – as technologies evolve, building in sustainability becomes cheaper.
- There are various ways of managing affordable housing stock including community and shared ownership, rental, new financial models for buyers and so on. All of this will start to take shape through the consultation stage.
4. How will you prove that you can build a town this size and not expect it to damage regeneration prospects in Leicester itself?
- We will work closely with local authorities to ensure that an Eco-town on our land would compliment existing regeneration schemes at no cost to the taxpayer. It would encourage inward investment and there is potential for growth of sustainable technology industries to compliment growth of city businesses and biotechnology of the Science Park. Sustainable technologies will have to develop quickly in the UK if we are to meet future building and environmental standards in all communities.
- An Eco-town of this size also provides transport infrastructure solutions and links to new retail improvements at Highcross and cultural activities such as The Curve Performing Arts Centre (currently under construction). We will be undertaking a series of economic modelling exercises and working closely with Leicester city to deliver optimum solutions
Environment and water
1. Is the area at risk from flooding?
- We know the land very well and know also that flooding risks are very low. The area is not on a flood plain and receives relatively little rain. Through Sustainable Urban Drainage systems and improvements to the River Sence itself we can ensure that there are no negative consequences in terms of flooding for surrounding communities.
- We aware that there is an existing localised flooding problem in Great Glen. Given the Government's targets for water use in the Code for Sustainable Homes, water must be considered as a valuable resource and its management carefully designed to maximise its collection, use and re-use on site, while still maintaining appropriate water flow levels in existing rivers and streams to protect biodiversity. Our proposal would manage the water run off from the site to deliver predictable and controlled flows into the River Sense, thereby protecting Great Glen from both existing and future flood risks events.
Farming
1. Why are you proposing building on prime farmland?
- 'The land is not 'prime' but actually grade 3/4 land, which is best for grazing cattle, and can grow cereal crops, but needs fertiliser and quite a lot of other inputs to get a good crop: it is harder work to establish a good seed bed than Grade 1 soils and will always have lower yields. Food production is a key issue but we must as a nation increase yields on less land with less water in order to respond to climate change. By doing this and reintroducing cattle crops, this is the right response to the challenges we all face.
2. What will happen to the farm at Stoughton?
- There will continue to be farming on the land at Stoughton. We are the UK’s largest farmer and our commitment to this going forward is absolute.
- We are at the forefront of researching modern farming techniques and examining how farms can best serve local communities and continue to provide employment opportunities for local workers. This includes actually aiming to increase farming output using less land than at present and reducing food miles. More details will be published on our website soon.
Education
1. What do you mean by an integrated education system?
- There is a major opportunity to bring education at all levels and businesses in the new town closer together in terms of curriculum development and training opportunities. We want this to be a town where people live and work and set a trend for others to follow.
2. How would this affect existing schools in the area?
- There could be some catchment area changes for schools dependent on where they are delivered in the town. This work has to be undertaken in discussion with the relevant education authorities. We have also made the commitment that every child living in the eco-town would have a school place and that schools will be provided from day one.
Community
1. Can you tell me more about your co-operative model of community engagement?
- The Co-operative movement is based on a democratic membership and our ethics are based on social responsibility, which will drive our future community engagement. We envisage an empowered community with various elements of community ownership.
- We have a unique role in existing communities. We support local communities through our retail presence and our membership runs local projects and engages with decision makers at local and regional level. The Co-operative Community Fund also takes profits from our commercial operations and uses them to the benefit of millions of people living in communities.
2. Why would I want to move there?
- The model for the eco-town community will see residents involved in all kinds of decision making about the town and produce empowered citizens able to work together to solve any problems that arise.
- The Co-operative Group is committed to delivering the range of services as included in the Eco-town prospectus, for example, education and healthcare facilities, plus our land ownership will allow for substantial green spaces which would make a community an attractive place to live.
3. Where are the people for the Eco-town going to come from? What kind of Community will it be?
- The town would be a phased development possibly over 15 years. It is not about building x no. of houses and then residents move in. Services and infrastructure will be in place as the first houses are completed and then these will be enhanced when housing numbers grow – this ensures minimal pressure on existing infrastructure and can develop a sense of community from day one.
- The town will provide a mixed community of those that cannot afford to buy elsewhere in the region, of those that will work in the new services, businesses and industries provided by the town and also by those attracted to the new way of living which the Eco-town will ensure, which is both community empowering and zero carbon, thereby dealing with potent national and regional challenges.
Health
1. What will the Eco-town do to encourage healthy living?
- Regular exercise will be a natural part of daily living in walk-able and cycle-able neighbourhoods which will in turn also increase interaction with other residents. The town will offer a wealth of cultural, social and educational opportunities with the positive mental health ramifications of greater social interaction. Facilities to promote healthy living in all sectors of the community will be provided - from sports and leisure facilities to healthcare.
- We support the principles of Active Design and will incorporate these into the masterplanning and construction of the town working in close consultation with Sport England.
- Better food choices will be promoted, including the opportunity for allotments, other opportunities to grow local produce and opportunities for access to local organic and sustainable forms of food production.
- We will work with health service providers to ensure joined-up service provision and localised care in the town.
2. How will the Great Park land be used for healthy benefits?
- Access to the land we own is very limited at present and there is an opportunity to open up this access for shared recreation and bringing forward more land for public use. We have committed to doubling footpath access and increasing bridleways, shared open spaces and cycle links across our land into the city and its surrounds. This all brings benefits in terms of quality of life, not just very local people but for those in the wider region.
- It would be essential to provide healthcare and community facilities including doctors and dentists surgeries in the town itself and we are entering into early discussions with the Primary Care Trust in order to look at the detail of delivery.
General
1. Why was ‘Pennbury’ chosen for the name of the submission?
- Pennbury is the name of one of the farms on our estate – it is only a working title and local people will be given a say in the eventual town name. For now it is simply an identifying name given in the government’s consultation.