Eco-grilling for property developers

photo credit: smellyknee

How’s this for a cool job title? “Well actually I’m on the Eco-towns Challenge Panel.” Definitely sounds to me like a Challenge Anneka-style job, running around in hard hats with walkie talkies and a stopwatch.

Sadly, it’s not quite that exciting. The panel, made up of ‘leading experts from the worlds of design, the environment, transport and sustainability’ are responsible for reviewing potential property developers’ proposals, provide them with expert advice and challenge them to meet the highest standards possible. Not running around building community centres. Shame.

Slap on the wrists

But the almighty panel is not happy (uh-oh) and some property developers have recently been given a slap on the wrists for lacking ambition and innovation in their proposals for the new eco-towns. They’ve been questioned on a range of issues, including their ability to reduce the carbon footprint of residents and their reliance on cars, and the likely “day in the life” of an eco-town resident in 2020. Presumably this should include dressing from head to toe in newspaper and composting everything but the cat.

‘Highest possible standards’

A favourite of this blog, housing minister, Caroline Flint, said:

“I have been clear from the start that only those bids that reach the highest possible standards for sustainability can make it through…..This process was meant to be a challenging ride for the developers, and they need to be open to the creativity of these ideas. Some clearly need to up their game and the ball is now in their court.”

But - serious bit now - these planned eco-towns have come up against enough criticism to end up looking like every other housing estate in the country. It’s an ambitious, innovative plan, so let’s see the same in the design and hope they create of new homes that people actually want to live in.

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