Northstowe short-listed as eco-town
Joint news release from South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons
Released on 01 December 2009
Local authorities in Cambridgeshire have welcomed news from Housing Minister John Healey that Northstowe has been short-listed in the second wave of eco-town proposals.
The announcement, made on Tuesday 1 December 2009, is a response to proposals put jointly to Government by Cambridgeshire Horizons, Cambridgeshire County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and lists Northstowe as one of the 'potential second wave eco-towns proposals' due to the 'opportunity to redesign elements of the existing project(s) to meet even higher sustainability standards'. The second wave of eco-towns stand to share up to £10 million worth of funding to help deliver the highest standards of sustainability.
Cllr David Bard, South Cambridgeshire District Council portfolio holder for new communities, said,
This announcement is extremely welcome. South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons have long argued that Northstowe should be built to the highest possible standards of environmental sustainability and being accorded full eco-town status would significantly increase the likelihood of this aspiration being translated into reality.
Cambridgeshire County Councillor Roy Pegram, cabinet member for growth, infrastructure and strategic planning, said,
This is welcome news. We and our partners have been fighting hard against proposals for eco-towns in the wrong place, such as Hanley Grange and lobbying Government even harder to look at including the planned development of Northstowe in this second round of the eco-town plans. I am glad Government has listened to us and our arguments and agreed to include Northstowe in a list of potential sites for eco-towns. Now the Minister must make sure the right amount of funding is delivered to make this a reality and we will be working with our partners to secure that. We want Cambridgeshire to be at the forefront of creating communities that are environmentally friendly, well served by transport and have all the right facilities for residents to call them home and Northstowe has a key part to play in that.
Sir David Trippier, chairman of Cambridgeshire Horizons, commented,
Our ambition for Northstowe has always been to deliver a truly modern community, showcasing excellent sustainability standards, high quality design, and cutting-edge public transport that will inspire people to want to live and work there. The potential inclusion of Northstowe in the second wave of eco-towns provides us with the opportunity to stretch that ambition further and access additional funding to turn the vision into reality.
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