An 'eco town' near you?

A shortlist of locations for the first new towns in England in 40 years has been published by the government.

The top 15 bids for so-called eco-towns include former Ministry of Defence sites and disused airfields. The shortlist will be whittled down to up to ten towns, with up to 20 thousand carbon-neutral homes at each of them.

But ministers are braced for local opposition in some areas. James Blake reports

There's not much show of support for the Government's eco towns in Leicestershire this morning. The village of Stoughton is close to the proposed new town of Pennbury - where 15,000 homes may soon be built.

Despite their so-called green credentials. Some of these towns will be built on Greenfield areas around a protected woodland at Marston Vale in Bedfordshire for example.

Six towns may be built on old MOD sites including the RAF base at Coltishall and Ford airfield - next to the prison in West Sussex. The proposed 15 eco-towns are scattered around England.

Pennbury will be one of the largest. Middle Quinton is controversial because of fears it could impinge on Stratford upon Avon and Rossington in South Yorkshire will regenerate an old Colliery village. Only 10 of these 15 are expected to be built.

They are - in part - modelled on Poundbury - a new town in Dorset designed for the Prince of Wales. Each development should be zero carbon, have a secondary school and sports centre and be well linked to existing towns. But opponents say they could simply encourage more commuters.

So it seems that England should now brace itself for a dozen new mini Milton Kenyes. And as council planning rules can be circumvented. There may be nothing local people can do about it.

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