| Home | Campaigns | News | Events | Join us | About us | Contact us | Search | Vacancies | Green Belt Way |  
 
CPRE Oxfordshire
CPRE Oxfordshire
Campaigning to protect Oxfordshire's countryside for 75 years
 
 
Eco-Towns
  
 

News Update:

April 30 2009: Public consultation on eco-town ends today - CPRE Oxon submits its response

CPRE has submitted its response to the latest round of Government consultations on eco-towns, namely, the draft Planning Policy Statement and the Sustainability Appraisal, reiterating the many drawbacks of the Weston Otmoor location.

April 6 2009: Eco-Towns Policy may have unlawful consequences says CPRE National Office QC.

A legal opinion for CPRE National Office casts further doubt on the legality of the Government’s proposed policy on eco-towns. This policy needs radical revision if the Government is to avoid future legal challenges.

It is now clear that the proposed policy flies in the face of established procedures whereby communities agree the level and location of new development through development plans.

According to John Hobson QC, CPRE’s Honorary Standing Counsel, by identifying selected sites outside the development plan process, ‘and requiring that they be given “material weight” the Government would be usurping the function of the local planning authorities and distorting the plan making process’.

Kate Gordon, CPRE’s Senior Planner said: “Communities rely on a robust planning system to guide development to where it is needed most while protecting the countryside.  Environmental Assessment requires proposals to be assessed for their effects on the environment and communities and compared with alternatives before being allowed to proceed.”

The proposed arrangements for eco-towns seem fundamentally at odds with this process. As John Hobson explains:
“The promulgation of a list of identified sites in national policy guidance would represent an anomalous departure that would undermine the plan-led system. It would constitute a potentially unlawful interference with the statutory functions of local planning authorities in drawing up development plans and determining planning applications. The inclusion of the list of sites without a proper consideration of alternatives as part of the Sustainability Appraisal would also be unlawful.”

Kate Gordon concluded: “CPRE has been urging the Government not to pursue its eco-town policy in its current form. This legal opinion adds to existing doubts over the lawfulness of the Government’s approach.”

March 31 2009: Cherwell District Council to support eco development at NW Bicester if ten caveats are recognised.

Councillors have agreed to back the inclusion of the North West Bicester location in the government's list of potential eco-town sites but only if its ten caveats are recognised.

The decision to promote a new deal for Bicester was taken at a special meeting of the council's executive, held on Monday 30 May, devoted to the issue of eco towns.

Cherwell District Council will only support an eco development at North West Bicester if alternative proposals for a larger eco-town at Weston Otmoor are dropped. Key to the ten point plan is the idea of a 'new deal' for Bicester. In return for supporting an eco development Cherwell District Council wants assurance from the Government that substantial and continuing financial support will be made available to Bicester. The council wants guarantees that 'growth point funding' (money given to areas earmarked for expansion across the UK) will be channeled to Bicester ahead of any expansion of housing numbers. The new deal would also require public sector organisations to work together to deliver major projects on Bicester's infrastructure, such as junction nine of the M40.

Proposals for an eco development in North West Bicester were submitted by Cherwell District Council in response to the Government's consultation on eco-towns, as a way to provide a direct alternative to another potential site in Weston Otmoor. The council believes the Weston site would damage the future success of Bicester and the surrounding area and has opposed the Weston idea since it was announced in April 2008.

Cherwell's ten point plan:

1. The NW Bicester concept study only illustrates the possibilities – it isn't seen as a definitive design. A formal planning brief still needs to be prepared and approved, in the same way as for any other major planning application.
2. We'll only support the NW Bicester option if the Weston Otmoor scheme is rejected.
3. Detailed planning for NW Bicester would become part of the Local Development Framework – an integrated long-term plan for building homes and expanding facilities across Cherwell.
4. More detailed work still needs to be done. We particularly need to look at transport options and talk to those who own land on the NW Bicester site.
5. The government should provide a 'new deal' for Bicester, guaranteeing financial support and directing specific funds to the town's infrastructure before any more new homes are built.
6. Organisations such as the Highways Agency, MoD, Learning and Skills Council and Home Office need to work with the local councils to speed up improvements and investment in the Bicester area, such as changes to junction nine of the M40.
7. The government must back up the council when it comes to planning decisions based on the eco town criteria, so planning permission is only granted to developments which meet the standards.
8. 5,000 new homes built as part of the NW Bicester eco town should count towards the government's target of building 13,400 new homes in the Cherwell district before 2026.
9. Cherwell District Council should be able to nominate families from its housing register to live in social houses built on the NW Bicester site.
10. Cherwell District Council should be the lead organisation on the NW Bicester development.

March 11: Final two Assessment Reports on proposed eco-towns are published.

- DCLG has just published a Financial Viability Study on the latest line-up of possible eco-town schemes. Eight schemes have been assessed in this study by CLG’s advisers. Weston Otmoor is by far the biggest scheme, with 15k planned homes – and it passed the viability test!

However there are some major provisos. The report states: “Due to the current unprecedented turmoil in the housing market, predicting future values and house price inflation as well as build costs is extremely problematic. Should house prices and demand not recover in the medium to long-term then this would have a significant negative impact on the viability of eco-town proposals.”

The report comments - "The promoter (Parkridge) has stated that approximately 500 residential units will be constructed annually over a 30 year time frame. In regards to affordable housing, the promoter anticipates that 30 per cent of this annual output (180) will be affordable shared ownership units".

In the 'Conclusions from the outline financial assessment' the report states:
"The financial assessment indicates that the development proposal has the potential to generate sufficient value to cover the direct and indirect costs of delivery without recourse to public subsidy over and above existing public sector funding sources (e.g. social housing grant).

On the current analysis the proposal has potential to generate a surplus (contingency) over and above the estimated direct and indirect costs of delivering the scheme. However, as the report indicates, a number of major cost issues require substantial further work to agree costs and deliverables with the relevant agencies; in the case of this scheme these are very substantial areas of further work. We would expect that the promoter would seek to address and resolve, if possible, the issues and uncertainties identified in this report as part of the preparations for an Outline Planning Application”.

The report considers that even allowing for the downturn in house prices, the scheme could still be viable. However, it appears that the cost of the land is based on the market price of agricultural land and not development land!

  • A copy of the Financial Viability Study is available here.

- A report to Cherwell District Council, prepared by the Floodplains Meadow Partnership, has been published titled, 'Weston Otmoor Ecotown: a consideration of how the proposed development may affect neighbouring Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The focus of this work was to establish whether there was a potential for the development to have an impact on the hydrology of the nature conservation sites.

According to the Floodplains Meadow Partnership: "The reports submitted by the developers that have been reviewed as part of this report, tend to dismiss the potential impact of groundwater connection between the development area and the SSSIs too lightly in our opinion, given the lack of evidence currently available."

They continued: "In the absence of water-balance information, it has to be concluded that the proposed development currently poses a potential risk to the integrity of both SSSIs via a groundwater pathway."

The report concludes: "Our opinion is that it is unsafe to proceed with the development until the groundwater flows in the area and their relationship to the vegetation of the SSSIs have been characterised." 

March 5: Housing Minister, Margaret Beckett, visits site of proposed eco-development in NW Bicester.

Margaret Beckett visited Bicester on Thursday 5 March to meet with councillors and eco-town protesters. She was given a presentation of what the North West Bicester eco development could look like and also visited the site between Bicester and Bucknell.

Mrs Beckett stressed that if any of the proposals were not up to scratch, they would not go ahead. She added: “They will go through the planning process, there’s no done deal, there is no fixed number. We are not saying X number of eco- towns. If they don’t meet standards proposed, they will not get our backing.”

During the meeting, she was left in no uncertain terms that before any eco-development in Bicester went ahead, the right infrastructure must be in place. This included rail links and major improvements to junctions nine and 10 of the M40.

She also confirmed that any housing numbers contained in an eco-town could be set off against the RSS target.

She also said that the eco-towns would not be fast tracked around the planning system.

March 3 2009: Consultants suggest NW Bicester eco-development has potential.

The first draft of an independent study commissed by Cherwell District Council and Communities and Local Government suggests the concept of an eco-development in NW Bicester has potential.

Halcrow, an independent consultancy firm, has undertaken work to understand the viability of the north west Bicester site and concludes it offers "an exciting opportunity to build a new form of sustainable community in Cherwell district, and to extend the benefits of this community to the existing town of Bicester."

The concept report also concludes that north west Bicester is a logical site for such a development, consistent with wider planning policy aims. Halcrow believes the north west Bicester location is "at least as good as many of the other proposed eco town locations and better than many, e.g. Weston Otmoor."

But there are also notes of caution in the report. Halcrow believes the development is currently a marginal proposition financially although careful consideration of how the Government's eco town standards could be met, combined with the availability of public sector support, would make a big difference to viability.

Councillor Barry Wood, leader of the council, has welcomed the report: "The study reinforces our initial suggestion that any new development should bring benefits to the existing town of Bicester, rather than draw investment away from it – a major risk posed by Weston Otmoor. It has always been essential from the council's point of view that any development would benefit Bicester and Halcrow's report indicates development at north west Bicester could achieve this"

What next?

CPRE Oxfordshire will now consider the conclusions of this report in depth, particularly the issues of viability and deliverability.

Councillors will form a view on the findings of the concept study at a special meeting of the council's executive committee on Monday 30 March.

One of the decisions they need to take is whether the merits of the north west Bicester location are convincing enough for the council to promote it formally to Government as an eco-town location. This would mean the north west Bicester concept forming part of the council's future strategy for accommodating housing growth (the Local Development Framework).

Halcrow's findings will now be included in the Government's current eco-town consultation, the 'Phase II consultation', which gives individuals, groups and organisations the opportunity to respond to this national Government initiative.

Councillor Michael Gibbard, portfolio holder for planning and housing, is keen to hear the views of local people before the executive committee meets on 30 March. He said:

"Cherwell District Council will not hold its own formal consultation on the findings of the Halcrow study at this stage. Our time for consultation on further developments to the scheme will come if councillors decide to pursue the proposal further, and if Government includes it in the Planning Policy Statement. However, that does not mean that we are not interested in hearing people's views before the meeting on 30 March. We're in the process of arranging a number of invitation-only briefing sessions in Bicester and the surrounding areas for specific groups of interested people. Representatives of Communities and Local Government will hold their own stakeholder briefing event, when Halcrow will also present their report."

The briefing session will be on 18 March at 6.30pm at Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury.

This meeting is not open to the public, but anyone who would like to be invited should contact Charlotte Morbey on tel: 01295 227 970 or by email: charlotte.morbey@cherwell-dc.gov.uk

CPRE Oxfordshire will be attending the briefing session in Banbury and encourages other interested individuals and organisations to attend.

Housing Minister Margaret Beckett is expected to make final decisions on the location of eco-towns at the end of June 2009.

March 1 2009: Eco-town enquiry extended.

The public consultation over the proposal to build a 15,000 home eco-town near Weston-on-the-Green has been extended until April 30 when the housing minister will decide which of 11 sites across the country will go ahead.

The move comes after a judicial review bid failed to stop the proposal in its tracks.

Alan Cotton, of the Weston Front campaign, is confident the Weston Otmoor site will be thrown out, but urged people to take part in the consultation. He said: “All the decisions coming out are damning of the Weston Otmoor plan, which is good from our point of view.

Housing minister Margaret Beckett said: “It is vital we identify the right locations for these eco-towns and I will not support any proposal that our assessment and consultation concludes is unsuitable. I have extended the deadline to ensure that all parties, irrespective of their views, are given the full opportunity to have their say, and I urge everyone to respond to this consultation.”

CPRE Oxfordshire is hopeful that Weston Otmoor will be removed from the shortlist. However, we urge as many people as possible to fill in a consultation form.

To take part go to: ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk

26 February 2009: Another Assessment Report is published on Transport - with nothing positive to say for Weston Otmoor.

In a damming report on Transport instigated by Oxordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council, the conclusion considered that Weston Otmoor could not meet the long term transport challenges of delivery, management, enforcement, adaptation and change. Enormous risks were associated with the proposals and the report urges the Government not to shortlist Weston Otmoor.

12 February 2009: Oxford Times to put eco-town questions to Housing Minister.

The battle over whether an eco-town should be built in Oxfordshire is set to continue into the spring. With the consultation period due to end on 6 March, The Oxford Times is offering readers the chance to put their questions directly to Iain Wright, the Housing Minister.

CPRE Oxfordshire is encouraging its members and others to submit their questions to The Oxford Times, which will publish the minister's answers. The closing date is 20 February.

Questions should be sent to rlittle@oxfordtimes.co.uk or write to Reg Little, The Oxford Times, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 OEJ.

12 February 2009: Two new reports by independent consultants raise further questions about merits of Weston Otmoor.

Two new reports have recently been published which raise further questions about the proposed eco-town at Weston Otmoor.

Cherwell District Council's Weston Otmoor Scoping Water Cycle Study (WCS) assesses the potential impact of the proposed eco-town at Weston Otmoor on the water cycle, water infrastructure and the water environment of the study area.

Cherwell District Council's Landscape and Visual Impact Appraisal - Weston Otmoor Eco-Town, gives an indication of the approximate extent of the proposed development’s visual impact and impact on the character of the landscape.

28 January 2009: Cherwell District Council calls on Secretary of State to reconsider scope and content of Sustainability Appraisal and the form of the proposed PPS.

The legal department of Cherwell District Council have sent a letter to the Government indicating that in their view the approach to site identification and sustainability appraisal of the policy overall and site selection is fundamentally misconceived.

The Council says that should the PPS be published with Weston Otmoor included as an eco-town location the Council will challenge it.

27 January 2009: High Court rejects Judicial Review Challenge.

In an oral judgment delivered on Tuesday 27 January, at the High Court, Mr Justice Walker ruled that the consultation on the Government's eco-town shortlist document: “Eco-towns Living a Greener Future” was lawful.

The judge rejected the complaint by BARD Campaign and Weston Front that there had been a failure to consult the public properly over the policy to build "environmentally-friendly" towns to meet housing shortages.

Mr Justice Walker stressed the project was "at a relatively early stage" and there would be future opportunities for consultation.

He ruled the Government had not followed unlawful procedures or attempted to "outflank" the planning system. He also rejected accusations that it had proceeded with "a closed mind".

The BARD and Weston Front action groups are currently considering their position once the full judgement has been studied.

In response to the announcement Weston Front Spokesman Tony Henman said:

"We are disappointed that the court has chosen to accept the government’s process for selecting the Eco-town shortlist despite our belief that the consultation process was fatally flawed. However this is just another battle in a long war, we now hope that the government will accept the overwhelming evidence that the Weston Otmoor development is a bad idea after the independent report (by Arup) demonstrated that the site is a manifestly bad site."

Mr Henman also added "If the proposal should get past the short listing stage we are confident that the planning process would then reject it."

The failed legal challenge was spearheaded by the Better Accessible Responsible Development (BARD) campaign, which is opposed to 6,000 new homes being built near Long Marston, Warwickshire, ten miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon.

David Bliss, Chairman of the BARD Campaign, commented:

“We are disappointed but this is by no means the end of the road for BARD’s challenges to the Middle Quinton proposal. Labelling objectors NIMBIES is a lazy Government response to well-thought out opposition to the current eco-town programme.    No less than 47 national, regional and local representative bodies agree that poorly sited new towns will neither meet their promised eco-agenda nor provide affordable housing in places where people want to live. 

“Our principle remains compelling: local people deserve to be properly consulted on Government policies that directly impact them.  Contrary to Government assertions, we care deeply both about the environment and our communities.  Experience from Europe suggests that the way to success is developing eco-quarters as part of urban extensions rather than building new towns in isolated rural spots and expecting them to be environmentally friendly solutions to national housing demand.  

“In short, poorly-sited eco-towns will lead to soulless commuter-based dormitory towns becoming expensive white elephants of the future.  We do not intend to stand by and watch this happen.

"Despite today’s ruling we hope the Government will properly listen to and act on the views of local people and their democratically-elected representatives before progressing with the programme.”

Responding to the judge’s decision, Helena Whall, CPRE Oxfordshire’s Campaign Manager, said: “We are disappointed by the judge’s ruling, since we certainly considered the early consultation process less than adequate and remain convinced that the whole approach by the government to eco-towns has been misconceived and badly managed. We continue to oppose the Weston Otmoor proposal which has nothing to recommend it.”

15 January 2009: Weston Otmoor would have a damaging impact on Bicester says a report by consultant Arup & Partners.

The proposed Weston Otmoor eco-town would have a damaging impact on neighbouring towns if it were built, according to a damning independent report published today by consultant Arup & Partners, commissioned by DCLG.

The eco-settlement would threaten the futures of both Bicester and Kidlington, draining away investment and putting at risk the prospect of growth.

The hard-hitting report into the the economic and social impact of creating a 15,000-home settlement near Weston-on-the-Green was commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council and the South East England Development Agency (Seeda).

Its conclusion that Weston Otmoor would adversely affect its two biggest neighbours could prove crucial as the eco-town selection process enters a vital phase, with the final shortlist expected in the spring.

Cherwell leader Barry Wood said the report echoed the council’s concerns about the eco-town. He said: “We have said Weston Otmoor was bad news for Bicester right from the start.”

8 January 2009: Weston Front Judicial Review proceedings on the eco-town consultation process to take place on 22 and 23 January.

The Judicial Review proceedings on the eco-town consultation process are due to take place in the High Court in London on 22nd and 23rd January 2009.

In line with commitments which she has made to the claimants and to other interested parties in the case, the Secretary of State has decided to extend the deadline for responses on the draft Planning Policy Statement and the accompanying Sustainability Appraisal on Eco-Towns from 19th February 2009 to 6th March 2009. This effectively allows an additional two weeks for people to respond to the current round of consultation.

Weston Front and the BARD Group are claiming that the decision by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government made on 3 April 2008 to short list potential eco-town sites as contained in the public consultation document entitled "Eco Towns Living a Greener Future" was made without having undertaken adequate consultation in respect of the eco towns concept. The Government are contesting this allegation on the basis that they carried out full consultation and the Government's procedures were reasonable and thorough.

16 December 2008: 86% of people disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposals for Weston Otmoor says Parkridge.

In the second edition of 'A Sustainable Future', the official newsletter for the Weston Otmoor eco-town consultation, Parkridge admits that 86% of poeple submitting their feedback at the consultation roadshows during June and August disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposals for Weston Otmoor. However, Parkrdige also explains why it believes that "Weston Otmoor remains Oxfordshire’s optimum eco-town location".

The December newsletter sets out the latest news from Parkridge on Weston Otmoor and summarises the Weston Otmoor Community Consultation Report. The Consultation Report sets out the consultation activities that Parkridge have undertaken so far on the eco-town proposal and summarises feedback received.

Following feedback received by Parkridge from local groups, other stakeholders and the local community, changes have been made to the eco-town proposals, including the section regarding 'Maintaining the Green Belt', Parkridge now state in their newsletter: "The master plan no longer includes housing development in the Green Belt. It now shows all Green Belt land remaining substantially open and undeveloped, with employment land now moved alongside
the M40."

Cherwell District Council will be liaising with Oxfordshire County Council in preparing a response to these publications in due course.

3 December 2008: House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee call for re-examination of eco-town proposals.

In a recent report, "Greener homes for the future? An environmental analysis of the Government's housebuilding plans", published on 3 November, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee says eco-town proposals should be re-examined to ensure they have good public transport links, and are located close to commercial centres and employment opportunities, so that they do not lead to large rises in road journeys.

  • See House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee Report.

28 November 2008: Weston Otmoor and Cherwell eco-town roadshow.

A series of roadshows will be taking place around the shortlisted eco-town locations to give local people the opportunity to find out more about eco-towns and to have their say about what is important to them.

The Weston Otmoor and Cherwell eco-town roadshow will be held at Crown car park, Bicester, between 10.00am and 7.00p, on 28th November 2008.

  • For more information see the CLG website.

6 November 2008: Cherwell District Council's Eco-Town concept reflects current housing plans.

Cherwell District Council has confirmed the idea that an alternative eco site in North West Bicester could keep any eco development imposed by Government in line with its own long term planning objectives for the area.The council's Local Development Framework (LDF) has already identified potential sites where houses could be built over the next 20 years. The idea of an alternative site in North West Bicester directly reflects this long term planning.

5 November 2008: CPRE Oxfordshire Press Release - 'CPRE Oxfordshire welcomes Government's admission that Weston Otmoor is unsuitable for an eco-town'.

The Government is at last seeing sense on the unsuitability of Weston Otmoor, the proposed eco-town near Bicester, which has just been given the lowest grading of all the 12 proposals still on the table. This was the reaction of Oxfordshire countryside campaigners, CPRE, to the publication by the Government yesterday (Tuesday) of a draft planning policy statement (PPS) and impact assessment on eco-towns.

The Sustainabilty Appraisal (SA) process includes a review of an alternative site - an enlarged extension of North West Bicester - which has been given a 'B' rating.

As far as the Bicester North West alternative put forward by Cherwell District Council is concerned, CPRE will need to see the detail, but we know the Howes Lane and Lords Lane sites have been proposed as options for major development at Bicester in Cherwell's 'Options for Growth' document currently out for consultation.

As urban extensions they have something to recommend them, eco-towns should not be free-standing. However, CPRE will have to examine the constraints and opportunities that an ‘eco-extension’ or ‘eco-quarter’ for Bicester would provide.

The draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) and Sustainability Appraisal are subject to a consultation period of 90 days. CPRE Oxfordshire will be examining the proposed policy and schemes carefully and will be responding to the consultation in due course.

Have your say: You have two opportunities to have your say. By clicking the links to 'give your feedback' you can submit your general thoughts on the eco-town standards or you can access the complete consultation online.
    • For more information see the CLG website.

    Further Information:

    4 November 2008: CPRE Oxfordshire Press Release - 'CPRE Oxfordshire renews attack on Government's eco-town plans as policy statement looms'.

    CPRE Oxfordshire continues to express serious concerns about the Government's emerging eco-town plans as the new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Eco-towns looms.

    29 October 2008: Government plans to build ten eco-towns by 2020 is now a "hope" rather than a target.

    Government plans to build ten eco-towns by 2020 is now a "hope" rather than a target, new housing minister Margaret Beckett has told a Commons Select Committee. Beckett also called the government´s target of building three million homes by 2020 an ambition. It is markedly different language from the defiant line taken by former housing minister Caroline Flint.

    Beckett was responding to a report in The Observer (26 October) which reported that the DCLG has concluded 'only one or two' of the 15 shortlisted projects are genuinely viable.

    "We are only at the first stage of consultation. We have had a substantial response and we are continuing with the hope that we will be able to identify ten (sites) at a later stage," she said.

    When asked if government is sticking to its pledge to increase house building to 240,000 homes a year by 2016, she replied: "I think the most challenging of the targets was the three million, but that was an ambition actually, rather than a target. The target was the figure for 2016 and that is something we will have to see how we can address." The incoming minister said there were "no plans at the present time to scrap the target."

    The draft PPS on eco-towns and the Sustainability Assessment are due to be made public in mid-November.

    30 September 2008: New coalition, led by Shelter, backs eco-towns

    A coalition of organisations, led by Shelter and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), have joined forces in support of eco-towns. The coalition - all made up of charitable/ not-for profit organisations – has issued a statement highlighting the key benefits the new settlements could bring. Adam Sampson, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘We must not let the voices of those opposing the planned eco-towns drown out those of people in housing need.'

    15 September 2008: Homelessness charity Shelter is under fire for using £100,000 of Government money to publish eco-town propaganda.

    Shelter has admitted taking £100,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government to produce 13 pamphlets - including one backing the 'eco-town' at Weston-on-the-Green. CPRE Oxfordshire has sent a letter to Shelter challenging the accuracy of its pamphlet which purports to deliver "the facts" about Parkridge's plans for more than 15,000 new homes at Weston-on-the-Green. The charity advocated the site as a solution to the homelessness problems of Oxford City Council.

    12 September 2008: CPRE NO welcomes testing of eco-towns in High Court.

    CPRE NO welcomes the decision by Mr Justice Collins to carry out a judicial review of the Government’s eco-towns programme. Kate Gordon, CPRE’s senior planner, said: ‘This situation could have been avoided had the Government thought through its eco-towns programme properly to start with. The way the Government has gone about designating eco-towns, by-passing established planning procedures, we believe to be fundamentally flawed. It is worrying that the Government appears to have little confidence in local communities or in its own planning system.’ Kate Gordon concluded: ‘We look forward to the High Court’s decision later this year.’

    Campaign group BARD launched an application for Judicial Review in June. The group is campaigning against the proposed 'Middle Quinton' eco-town in Warwickshire. Mr Justice Collins who granted permission for the review said yesterday ‘I have no doubt that this claim is arguable and so permission should be granted’ and that “I note there must be concern that the defendant [Secretary of State, Communities & Local Government] may have disqualified herself from considering any planning application for an eco-town because of perceived bias in its favour.”

    11 September 2008: Parkridge makes public its 'Weston Otmoor - Final Bid Presentation'.

    Parkridge has made its submission document, 'Weston Otmoor - Final Bid Presentation - August 2008: Non Technical Summary' publicly available. It contains the Weston Otmoor 'Master Plan' and is meant to be viewed as a 'work in progress', not as a planning application.

    18 July 2008: CPRE Oxfordshire rebuttal to Parkridge's 'myths' about eco-town.

    The eco-town developers Parkridge have recently posted a page on their website which purports to refute 'myths' (their word) about the potential impact of the Weston eco-town. CPRE Oxfordshire take this opportunity to respond to their statements: the issues are real and serious.

    30 June 2008: CPRE Oxfordshire join Weston Front for rally at Westminster Square.

    Approximately 30 people from Weston-on-the-Green and surrounding villages, including CPRE Oxfordshire, assembled in Westminster Square, together with groups from other parts of the UK, to protect against the proposed 'eco-towns'.

    Grant Shapps the Conservative shadow housing minister addressed the crowd and promised that if his party won the next election they would scrap the 'eco-town' programme and support instead local development plans.

    Represenatives from each protest group were invited to meet Caroline Flint MP after the protest rally. Tony Henman and Norman Machin from Weston Front were able to speak to Henry Cleary (Chairman of DCLG) before the meeting started. According to comments made by Caroline Flint, it seems unlikely that the second short list will be published much before the end of the year or even early next year. There was a strong implication that it is early days and anything could happen.

    30 June 2008: CPRE National Office says Government should re-think its 'eco-town' programme.

    As the consultation on 'eco-towns' draws to a close CPRE calls on the Government to focus on one or two truly exemplary schemes, scrap sub-standard proposals and rethink its eco-town programme.

    • See the CPRE press release here

    25 June 2008: CPRE Oxfordshire response to the 'eco-town' consultation.

    CPRE Oxfordshire has submitted to the DCLG its response to the 'eco-town' consultation (the deadline is June 30th). The response focuses on the many reasons why the government should drop 'Weston-Otmoor' from its final list.

    • See the CPRE Oxon response here

    24 June 2008:

    - OCC to tell government it has major concerns about 'Weston Otmoor'.

    Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet today sanctioned a formal response to Government that lists a series of serious concerns about the proposed 'eco-town'.

    Major problems that the county council will list in its official response to government include:

    • Concerns that established planning processes are being bypassed, denying local communities a proper say in the decision.
    • That over a quarter of the site is in the Green Belt and all of it is on green fields; therefore the plan runs contrary to the government's own policies to protect Green Belt and greenfield sites.
    • That the site is adjacent to roads which are already heavily congested, particularly the A34/M40 junction
    • The overall proposed transport infrastructure budget of £350m appears to be significantly short of what is likely to be required to deliver what the developers are proposing.
    • Concerns about the impact on the economy and community of Bicester
    • The claims made by promoters of the proposal for the 'eco-credentials' of the scheme in transport terms seem aspirational in the extreme.
    • The housing and employment proposals are embryonic; for example, it is not clear how the affordable housing will be delivered.
    • Fears that the government's planning to deliver the eco-town plans will not prove effective.
    • The lack of support from the local planning authority, Cherwell District Council.

    Councillor Keith Mitchell, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: 'There is widespread opposition to this proposal. Local people have got together in large numbers and have been very vocal in expressing their severe reservations. Those reservations are shared by Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council.

    'Our response to government sets out in full the long list of concerns we have. It remains to be seen whether these concerns will be listened to or whether the people of Oxfordshire are simply being presented with a fait accompli.'

    - Parkridge launches Weston Otmoor eco-town consultation.

    Parkridge has launched a community consultation programme to gather feedback from local people regarding its Weston Otmoor eco-town proposal.

    The consultation programme includes a variety of community-based activities and has been developed in conjunction with Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and local authorities Cherwell District Council and Oxford County Council.

    Consultation activities include: the appointment of a dedicated community relations manager; a specific project website and discussion ; a touring roadshow visiting 17 local villages and towns 2 in the neighbouring area – Weston on the Green, Wendlebury, Middleton Stoney, Bletchingdon, Kirtlington, Charlton on Otmoor, Bicester, Chesterton, Islip, Oxford, Ambrosden, Steeple Aston, Kidlington, Marsh Gibbon, Ardley, Bucknall and Blackthorn – and project update newsletters, which will be mailed to approximately 32,000 local households and will also be handed out at various locations in the area.

    In addition to feedback being invited via the website, the newsletter and subsequent e-newsletters will include a questionnaire to capture the views of people living in and visiting the area.

    Roger Sporle, director at Parkridge, says: 'We want to develop a truly sustainable community, with outstanding transport links, which will bring benefits to the wider area. We will use local knowledge and experience wherever possible to make Weston Otmoor a place that everyone can be proud of – consultation with local people will play a big part in this.'

    Parkridge has appointed Oxfordshire-based community consultation specialist Mistral Group to manage the consultation process.

    Mistral director Victoria Cross says: 'Our award-winning community consultation team works nationwide to help communities understand the planning process and have their say about the future of their local area. As a local business, employing local people, we’re very aware of the views that have been expressed since the announcement of the eco-town shortlist in April. We’re committed to ensuring that all comments, both positive and negative, are considered as the plans move forward.'

    The project website is at: www.WestonOtmoor.co.uk. Content will be added as the consultation evolves. Interested parties will be able to register their email addresses to receive updates throughout the consultation.

    - BBOWT meets Shadow Minister for Housing at threatened reserve.

    On 24 June Philippa Lyons, Chief Executive of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), met Shadow Minister for Housing, Grant Shapps, and Tony Baldry MP (MP for North Oxfordshire)  at the proposed site for the Weston Otmoor ‘eco-town’ development.

    Visiting BBOWT’s Woodsides Meadow Nature Reserve, a SSSI, they voiced there concerns about the threats posed by the proposed development to an area of national importance for wildlife. They also discussed the importance of locating new housing, especially eco-towns, in an environmentally sensitive way.

    BBOWT also demonstrated the overwhelming concern of its members about the proposed development. Home-made bunting made up of all the postcards sent by members to the Minister of State (Housing), were held up across the length of the nature reserve. 

    23 June 2008: Eco-Town Challenge Panel Report.

    The twelve experts advising developers on improving the sustainability of their proposals reported on Monday 23 June. The government’s ‘challenge group’, says that out of the 15 shortlisted sites, less than ten should be given the go-ahead and of those only a handful would have proper green credentials. It says that most proposals should be sent back to developers for reconsideration.The Panel said the site at Weston Otmoor in Oxfordshire risked becoming "commuterville".

    Two pages of the panel's report refer to Weston Otmoor and indicate developers still face some pretty big hurdles, but it is incredibly superficial. The report touches slightly on the sustainability of Bicester, but there is no mention of the Green Belt or the SSSI.

    What the panel told the Government:

    THE Weston Otmoor proposal is based around a developed transport strategy.

    However, it needs to address the possible wider implications on neighbouring Bicester and refine the concept to create a place where people will want to live and work.

    The transport strategy is potentially transformational and uses tram-train, free travel and demand management for car-use.

    As residents may simply take the tram to the park-and-ride and drive to either London or Birmingham, how will the town be stopped from becoming Commuterville?

    Details are needed about how the proposed road charging will be enforced and governed.

    It needs to be demonstrated how the proposed high street will be viable, given the proposed population, illustrating why residents would not shop in the larger centres of Bicester and Oxford?

    22 June 2008: Weston Front rally against proposed 'eco-town'.

    Weston Front, the local opposition Group against the 'eco-town' at Weston-on-the Green, held a protest rally on 22 June at Weston-on-the-Green playing field. The rally was fully supported by BBOWT and CPRE and Tony Baldry MP spoke at the event. More than 500 people gathered at Weston-on-the-Green playing fields to hammer home their opposition to the proposed ‘eco-town’. Protesters spelled out the word 'No' in human form in a bid to make their opinions heard.

    17 June 2008: Oxfordshire County Council debate on proposed 'eco-town'.

    At a full council debate by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) on the issue of the proposed ‘eco-town’ on 17 June, a motion was tabled by Conservative Councillor Timothy Hallchurch (Otmoor & Kirtlington) pointing out the impact of the proposed new town on the transport network, Green Belt and on the economy of Bicester, and questioned the Government’s claim that the town would be environmentally sustainable. The OCC Committee will vote on 24 June.

    • See CPRE Oxon's letter to all Cabinet Members.

    6 June 2008:

    - The proposed eco-town scheme near Weston-on-the-Green would need substantial amendments in order to go forward, the Government has hinted.

    The Government has moved to defuse local opposition to 'Weston Otmoor' by pledging it would not permit Oxford's Green Belt to be sacrificed for new eco-homes. But the reassurance came with the message that the Government was now viewing the scheme to build 15,000 homes near Weston-on-the-Green as "a strong proposal".

    - Eco-Towns Assessment Summaries.

    The government have published the results of the initial scrutiny of the proposals in relation to the eco-towns criteria, and where proposals met these, looked across Government and its agencies at the transport and environment issues and opportunities in locations put forward. There is a summary for each assessment (see page 108 of the document for the issues raised for 'Weston Otmoor' - they include sewerage, water supply, flooding, A34 problems.

    22 May 2008: CPRE Oxon letter to Stephen Joseph, Executive Director of Campaign for Better Transport and member of Eco-towns Challenge Panel (ECP).

    CPRE Oxon is lobbying the Eco-towns Challenge Panel (ECP), designed to help bidders and local authorities review and refine proposals. CPRE Oxon has sent a letter outlining its concerns about ‘Weston Otmoor’ to one of its members, Stephen Joseph, Executive Director of Campaign for Better Transport, who will be opposing the proposed ‘eco-town’ on the grounds that it will be a ‘car-dependent commuter town’.

    16 May 2008: A letter to Caroline Flint, Housing Minister on 'eco-towns' and transport.

    CPRE NO has written a joint letter to Caroline Flint, Housing Minister, with its concerns about the 'eco-towns' and likely car dependency. Most of the proposed schemes are located away from existing large towns which would not allow for easy integration into public transport networks.

    3 April 2008: ‘Weston Otmoor’ included on a list of potential 'eco-town' locations.

    Caroline Flint, MP, announced on 3 April that a new town called ‘Weston Otmoor’ has made it onto the Government’s shortlist of 15 proposed ‘eco-towns’. A second eco-town of 5-10,000 homes proposed in Shipton-on-Cherwell quarry, to the north of Kidlington, a developed site within the Green Belt, did not make it onto the shortlist.

    CPRE Oxfordshire is sympathetic to the concept of 'eco-towns' but believe that they should be exemplars of environmentally sustainable development. For them to succeed they must be well integrated into existing settlements and agreed with, not imposed on, local communities. We do not believe the proposal for Weston-on-the -Green meets these criteria and CPRE Oxfordshire is opposing this proposal.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Weston-Otmoor Proposal:

    Parkridge Holdings, the developers, are proposing a new 'eco-town' for 15,000 homes, on an 828 hectare (approximatley 2,000 acre) site, just 3 miles east of Weston-on-the-Green, a proposal that was rejected for the draft South East Plan (location of proposed site). 'Weston Otmoor’ would straddle the congested A34: a ‘Florence style’ bridge bearing homes and shops may be built over the road as the centre piece of the new town. The proposal includes a rail station on a much upgraded Oxford to Bicester line, and a Park and Ride for Oxford. The eco-town will offer two secondary schools, eight primary schools, and jobs for 12,000 people. The first settlers will arrive by 2012.

    • See the Parkridge master plan of the evolving Weston Otmoor proposal.

    Only about 16% of the 828 hectares could be said to be ‘brownfield’, in that it includes an MOD airfield which is currently used for parachute training and gliding. The rest is all farmed greenfield. Approximately 24.5% lies within the Oxford Green Belt, which also at this point includes a SSSI (species rich wet grassland).

    'Weston Otmoor' is one of two shortlisted sites to include Green Belt, flying in the face of an announcement made by Housing Minister Caroline Flint, in a Communities and Local Government (CLG) News Release, 3 April: ‘Based on an evaluation of the bids, the Government can today announce no new homes would be built on Green Belt land.’ See: http://tinyurl.com/3xnjrn.

    Oxfordshire County Council is sceptical about the scheme, saying it will be critical to ensure that the project directly benefits nearby Bicester, particularly in providing more jobs. See: http://tinyurl.com/4osykj. Cherwell District Council is strongly opposing the proposal; their policy being to focus most of its new development on expanding Banbury and Bicester. Councillor Barry Wood, Executive Leader, said that if the 'eco-town' receives planning permission the council would fund a Judicial Review of the planning process.

    Opposition is led by CPRE Oxfordshire, which says that ‘Weston Otmoor' is a smokescreen for making house-building on green fields appear more palatable’. See Press Release: http://tinyurl.com/4nwprh. A community group, the Weston Front, which is representing all the local villages, is already threatening to take any approval of the scheme to judicial review. See: http://www.westonfront.com. The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), along with the RSPB, has issued a press statement opposing the proposed 'eco-town'. See: http://www.bbowt.org.uk

    DCLG Consultation Process:

    The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) consultation document ‘Eco-towns: living in a greener future – consultation paper’ seeks the public's views on the vision for 'eco-towns' and the shortlisted locations proposed. This is the first of four stages. The deadline for responses is 30 June 2008.

    A 15 member Eco-towns Challenge Panel (ECP) has been established to help bidders and local authorities review and refine proposals. The chairman is John Walker, a regeneration expert. CPRE Oxon is lobbying the ECP (see letter to Stephen Joseph). The Panel includes:

    • JOHN WALKER, panel chairman and former chief executive of the British Urban Regeneration Association - an expert in large, mixed-use developments
    • WAYNE HEMINGWAY, founder of fashion label Red or Dead, expert in design and social issues. In 1999, he set up HemingwayDesign, which specialises in affordable and social design
    • KRIS MURRIN, TV presenter and expert in sustainable transport and children's issues. Presented The Woman Who Stops Traffic documentary on Channel 4
    • JOANNA YARROW, TV presenter, is a green-lifestyle specialist and founder of sustainability company Beyond Green. She wrote 1001 Ways You Can Save The Planet
    • LIZ REASON, director of Reasons to be Cheerful consultancy and an expert in innovative approaches to energy issues and climate change
    • LYNDA ADDISON, managing director of Addison & Associates. She is a transport and planning expert, with experience of initiating working arrangements within local authorities and with public and private sector partners
    • DR LIZ GOODWIN, chief executive of Waste and Resources Action Programme. She is an expert in use of natural resources and recycling
    • STEPHEN HALE, director of the Green Alliance, is an environmental expert
    • SIR PETER HALL, president of the Town and Country Planning Association. He is an expert in urban issues, housing and planning
    • STEPHEN JOSEPH, executive director of Campaign for Better Transport and is a transport expert
    • NICK MABEY, chief executive of E3G, is an expert in energy issues and economic development
    • BARRY MUNDAY, an architect with experience of Newtown' development and regeneration. He is an advocate of good housing design and new methods of construction
    • SUNAND PRASAD, president of the Royal Institute of British Architecture and an expert in design and architecture
    • SUE RIDDLESTONE, director of the BioRegional Development Group, is an expert in sustainability and sustainable development
    • RICHARD SIMMONS, chief executive of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and is an expert in architectural issues.

    The ECP will assess the following:

      • Sustainability: how will the project achieve sufficiently high environmental standards?
      • Deliverability: how will be it be funded and managed?
      • Affordability: is the scheme affordable within funding streams available to investors and the public sector? What are the respective contributions?

    What next?

    Running in parallel to the public consultation is a series of technical studies. Along with County planners, Cherwell District Council have recently met with the DCLG (with GOSE as observers) to discuss the process. There are four parts to this process:

    1) Sustainability Appraisal - DCLG will appoint and pay for consultants. CDC and OCC will be involved in brief.
    2) Economic & Financial Appraisal - DCLG will do presumably with consultants.
    3) Transport Appraisal - Parkridge will appoint and pay for consultants. CDC and County want to set this work against a model they have produced with Halcrow.
    4) Eco challenge by Eco Challenge Panel - to check how it stacks up against eco criteria.
    5) Socio-economic study- to include impact on Bicester and Kidlington. This will be done by DCGL consultant working to a brief prepared by SEEDA.
    These technical studies are due to run through to 30 September.

    Stage 1: July 2008.
    From July 2008, there will be a consultation on a draft Planning Policy Statement on Eco-towns (PPS), which will provide a more detailed assessment of the proposed locations.

    Stage 2: October 2008. During October 2008, Minister Caroline Flint will decide based on the technical reports (and perhaps taking into account comments received from the current public consultation up to 30 June) which sites should go forward and which dropped. Consultants Scott Wilson Kilpatrick will assist DCLG in this process. She is due to announce the final list by 31 October. A final Planning Policy Statement on Eco-towns incorporating the list will then be published.

    Stage 3: from June 2008. Submission of individual planning applications, but planners must take account of the PPS.

    Planning. ‘Most’ schemes, according to ‘Eco-towns: living in a greener future’, will be determined through the local planning authority. The government will try to establish a partnership approach with the local authority taking forward the eco-town and will help local authorities bring forward Local Development Frameworks where appropriate.

    The Planning Policy Statement on Eco-towns will set out the framework for assessment of applications. It will specify locations ‘that have the potential to be an eco-town’, not just those in the current shortlist. The PSS will be a material consideration in whether to approve planning permission for eco-towns, especially where the local Development Plan is silent or out of date.

    The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) partial reviews due by 2011 will ‘test the longer term issues that arise from the eco-town proposals - such as the ultimate size of new settlements’.

    The housing in the eco-towns will count towards the housing allocation of the planning district. ‘We want to assure local authorities which include an eco-town in their future housing plans that it will, of course, count towards those future housing targets, which in most places are likely to be more stretching’. The housing targets are due to be "stretched" in the partial reviews of RSS to be completed by 2011. In the case of the South East, the final list of eco-towns will be approved before the government's delayed response to the South East Plan, and the housing numbers are likely to be incorporated within the elevated housing targets.

    What you can do:

    If you want to have your say, email: ecotowns@communities.gsi.gov.uk or write to:

    Eco-towns Team
    Housing and Growth Programmes
    Communities and Local Government
    2/H9 Eland House
    Bressenden Place
    London, SW1E 5DU

    CPRE Oxfordshire response to the 'eco-town' consultation:

    CPRE Oxfordshire submitted to the DCLG its response to the 'eco-town' consultation on 25 June. The response focuses on the many reasons why the government should drop 'Weston-Otmoor' from its final list.

    • See the CPRE Oxon response here.
    • See all the consultation responses to the proposed 'eco-town' at Weston-on-the-Green here.

    Weston Front:

    At a public meeting on 28 May, Weston Front announced that they had embarked upon a Freedom of Information application on 14 May to try to discover the criteria used to make the 15 shortlist selection. If it does not get satisfaction, Weston Front will resort to law.

    Weston Front is plugged in to the national forum of protest groups and a demonstration in London is taking place at 11.30 am, Monday June 30th, at College Green.

    Location:

    It is unclear what the shaded area to the west of Weston-on-the-Green shown in the map above will be used for, given that it is not included in the map or location details provided by Parkridge in 'Weston Otmoor eco-town' or in the draft master plan. However, it is clear that Parkridge have options on this land and according to discussions held with Roger Sporle of Parkridge this land may be offered as compensation for the loss of land in the Green Belt.

    Find out more:

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Shipton-on-Cherwell

    Kilbride Properties Ltd put in a bid for an 'eco-town' of 5-10,000 homes in Shipton-on-Cherwell quarry, a developed (old cement works) site to the north of Kidlington, within the Oxford Green Belt.

    The developers hoped to transform the former cement works between Woodstock and Bicester into a thriving community. Its scheme would have included a new rail station, park-and-ride site, schools, shops, a marina and a nature reserve.

    Kilbride Properties Ltd tried to get their scheme included in the County Structure Plan and again in the South East Plan. Both times the Inspectors threw it out.

    The developer has already upset the local wildlife trust, Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), with its short-term plans for the site, which will see it used for storing cars, depots and industrial units before houses are built. See here.

    CPRE Oxfordshire was dismayed when a planning application by Kilbride Properties Ltd for development of the former limestone quarry (for a mixture of uses including industrial and commercial) was approved on 14 January by the County Planning Committee.

    As the decision is contrary to the development plan it has to be referred by the County Council to the Secretary of State to decide whether it should be 'called-in' for further scrutiny at Public Inquiry.

    CPRE Chairman, Bruce Tremayne, put his signature to a letter by BBOWT to the Secretary of State requesting that the application be called-in, allowing for the possibility of getting the decision to approve this application over-turned.

    Further Information

     

  
 
Share this page: del.icio.us | digg | furl | reddit | facebook | yahoo! | Help on sharing |
  
All content Copyright © 2005-09 Campaign to Protect Rural England Oxfordshire unless stated.
Published by CPRE Oxfordshire, Punches Barn, Waterperry Road, Holton, Oxfordshire OX33 1PP. 01865 874780.
campaign@cpreoxon.org.uk. www.cpreoxon.org.uk.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging
the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. National website: www.cpre.org.uk.