LGA slams eco-town diktat

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Councils are being neutered in the government's drive to force through eco-towns, the Local Government Association has complained.

In its eagerly awaited first official response to the eco-town programme, the LGA said local democracy and the planning process were being bypassed and that eco-towns should not be built in communities that opposed them.

"The government has failed to learn its lesson by relying on 'new town' powers of the past to impose a Whitehall diktat…we argue that the best way to plan for housing growth and environmental sustainability is through local councils," the paper said.

Further recommendations in the report, Eco-Towns: Back to the Future, include enabling receptive councils to lead and steer eco-town developments in their area.

The LGA's conclusions were welcomed by council leaders.

Leicestershire CC leader David Parsons (Con) said: "The government is setting itself up for a battle when it does not need to have one. There are places in the East Midlands, and elsewhere, where there would be an appetite for an eco-town, but there is fierce opposition at the Pennbury site." 

Since the government unveiled the shortlist of 15 potential sites in April, there has been growing resentment among many of the local authorities concerned. A lawsuit was filed this week by the Better Accessible Responsible Development pressure group protesting against the proposed Long Marston eco-town. Exclusive LGC research has revealed that of the 15 councils affected by the programme, only East Hampshire and East Lindsey DCs, offered full support (LGC, 12 June).

The Town & Country Planning Association has also raised concerns over the legitimacy of the eco-town planning process. Chief executive Gideon Amos said: "Local authority led development plans remain the best way to bring forward all development.

"However, it is often a painfully slow process and the government has chosen instead to act much faster."