Eco-towns are a red herring, says federation of master builders

Another press release on these 15 eco-towns.

New homes in every village, town, and city built to a high quality and sensitive to the local environment, would offer a more sustainable long term approach to our housing needs than the Government’s top down housing policy which has been dressed up as eco-towns says the Federation of Master Builders.

Commenting on today’s Government announcement short listing 15 locations for the 10 eco-towns, Brian Berry, Director External Affairs, says:

“Eco –towns sound lovely but are really a red herring to give the Government’s housing plans a stamp of green credibility. The truth is we already know how to create sustainable homes as demonstrated by the BedZed affordable eco-homes in south London and the renewable energy theme park developed by Kiklees Borough Council in Yorkshire”.

Berry continued:

“Building brand new eco–towns outside existing settlements is really bad idea when there are 675,000 empty homes in England alone sitting empty, all ripe for refitting with green technologies. Given that demand for housing covers the whole of the UK it makes sense for every village and town to have new housing rather creating brand new settlements.”

Berry concluded:

“If the Government is really serious about sustainable settlements the better solution would be to develop a patchwork of hundreds of smaller eco-projects, with contracts awarded by local regions for both new homes and refurbishment of old buildings with green measures spread across arrange of proven technologies. Now that really would be a revolution in turning Britain into a more sustainable place to live but the Government seems to think it always know best!”