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Grant Shapps Reduces Eco Town Funding By 50%
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Publishing date: 19.07.2010 |
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The Government has halved the funding available for eco-town development, it has emerged. Housing minister Grant Shapps has announced the funding cut for 2010/11. Planning Portal , July 19, 2010
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He has also insisted that promoters of eco-town developments provide evidence of local support for their plans before funding is released.
Five months ago the former Government pledged £60m for four projects confirmed in the first wave of eco-town locations. The money was intended to fund infrastructure and early ‘demonstrator’ projects such as exemplar low or zero-carbon homes. A month later local authorities in the second wave were promised £10m to develop plans and put them through the planning system.
Shapps told councils: “I am reducing the awards payable in 2010/11 to authorities by 50 per cent. Awards will be subject to achievement of milestones, and completion of a value for money and sustainability audit on projects. Additionally I want to ensure that localism is a real feature of these schemes.”
Communities and Local Government has underlined the coalition’s insistence that eco-developments must have local support by writing to local authorities affected by plans for the controversial Middle Quinton eco-town in Warwickshire.
The letter, a copy of which has been posted on Stratford-upon-Avon District Council’s website, said: “In terms of going forward with eco-towns and eco-developments the housing minister has made clear that his priority is to see that plans are well supported locally and will achieve genuine improvements in sustainability. The Government will not designate or impose a solution on a particular area and will not support an eco-town if the local community is opposed to it.”
Developers behind the eco-town at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire are reviewing their options after the Government placed funding on hold for a £1.1bn road-widening project.
A CLG spokesperson said: ‘While there has been a 50 per cent cut in eco-town funding awards for 2010/11, this still provides a good level of start-up funding for these projects in the current circumstances.”
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