Background & Vision

INTRODUCTION

The Government has asked all eco-town bidders to submit a final proposal for assessment and consultation.  A decision by the Government on preferred sites will be made in early 2009, and published in a national Planning Policy Statement (PPS). After a shortlist of sites is produced all schemes included within the PPS will have to go through the normal planning process. We have been asked to focus on a number of areas including:

• The broad vision for development
• A concept masterplan, including main land uses
• A sustainable infrastructure strategy
• Plans for governance and management

The Co-operative Group has prepared a comprehensive Masterplan Vision that embodies all of the information required. This website summarises the vision and includes a record of progress to date. The full vision document can be downloaded on our submission page

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Our proposal for the Eco-town for Leicestershire is based upon a community of 15,000 homes, with the built area of the town proposed for around a third of our landholding, with around two thirds remaining in countryside or farming uses.

OUR VISION FOR THE ECO-TOWN

Our landholding, separate from, but within close proximity to the City of Leicester, offers a unique opportunity to design and build an eco-town in a broad area where new housing and regeneration is much needed.

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The site not only has an ideal location and scale, it is also owned by two organisations The Co-operative and Emglish Partnerships who between them have a tradition of self-help and outstanding records for housing provision The co-operative model of empowerment and organisation also offers a template for the new residents to control and manage their town.

Our vision is of a community with inter-linked and efficient systems of movement, living, working, consumption, production and recycling.

The eco-town will become far more than a worthy technical exercise to combat climate change.  We are interested in meeting people's aspirations, fostering opportunity and creating better places to live and work.  In our view, eco-towns should offer not just sustainable but also affordable lifestyles, in harmony with the environment and community wellbeing.

 

 

LEICESTER CITY REGIONS

Responding to local conditions

Leicester and its surrounding regions face considerable challenges - even more so in a more challenging economic climate.  Although an eco-town is not the answer to all of the region’s needs, it will act as a catalyst for change and deliver a contribution to the solutions needed for the area in an integrated and unique way.

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Homes: Leicestershire needs a substantial number of new houses to meet existing and projected demand.  They need to be affordable and in locations where people want to live. Our proposal will provide 15,000 new homes with 4,500 of them classed as ‘affordable’.

Transport: Traffic congestion and accessibility are identified as current issues within the region.  With a high level of employment within its boundaries, the eco-town will provide a radical alternative to living and working lifestyles that presently depend on commuting in an unsustainable way.  Excellent and integrated public transport and an emphasis on walking and cycling will also bring health benefits.

Education and Skills: The region needs high quality education and training facilities for the whole community.  The education strategy for the eco-town is designed to improve skills and training access.  Our proposal includes primary and secondary schools, with consideration given to integrating education and employment, to meet the eco-town’s needs.  The overall strategy for education will encourage the existing workforce to improve its skills and its alignment with emerging employment needs.

THE ECO-TOWN AS A CATALYST

Green infrastructure
The land proposed for the eco-town is largely arable or grass farmland, inaccessible to the majority of the population.  The town itself would only require around a third of our total landholding and this allows for 30% within the town to be open spaces. The remaining two thirds of our land will become far more open to the community to use and enjoy. Additionally, we will create a ‘Great Park’. for leisure and countryside uses.  Sustainable farming will continue on some of the land, and it will be a valuable asset for all the communities of South Leicestershire. Although the Great Park will remain under the control of the Co-operative Group, we are happy to work with the community and local authorities to use the land to protect the new and exisiting communities from further encroachment through development.

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Employment
With the potential for 14,000 jobs to be delivered on site the eco-town will become an effective tool to improve the economic competitveness of Leicestershire.  Inward investment will be targeted to support the expansion of the region’s priority employment sectors.  By encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship the eco-town will become a natural home for knowledge-based industries.

Through local procurement strategies, local businesses will be able to access new markets for innovation in sustainable construction and service provision.

Regeneration
The eco-town strategy will integrate with that of the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC), the housing corporation and other key stakeholders. By adopting a joint working approach, our proposals will complement and support the key regeneration objectives of the area and help to address additional long-term challenges in health, education, transport, employment and social exclusion, to ensure that Leicester’s potential is realised.