Housing Minister John Healey has today backed the country's biggest ever green home building programme, with four areas sharing £60m cash to build over 600 new homes to the toughest ever environmental standards.
These new "eco-show homes" will be built in and around the four pioneering eco-town locations, introducing nearly 2,000 people to green living and saving them hundreds of pounds on bills. Nearly a third of these homes will be affordable.
Last year Mr Healey gave the go-ahead for the first wave of world leading eco-town sites in Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire, St Austell in Cornwall, Rackheath in Norfolk and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire.
By 2016, 10,000 eco homes will be built in the four landmark areas. The new homes and new neighbourhoods will be designed, planned and built to world leading environmental standards.
Today's cash will introduce greener living not only for people who go on to live in the new eco-towns, but for the 65,000 people already living nearby. Construction could also potentially create and support up to 2000 local jobs, including apprenticeships to help advance new green building skills.
People will see first hand the latest technology like smart meters to track energy use, electric car charging points, properly insulated homes built to the toughest ever standards and systems for saving water and recycling or composting waste. Most of the eco-show homes will be available for sale so that hundreds of families can experience green living and get a feel for eco-homes of the future.
The funding will also improve existing transport links, including rapid routes for buses with real-time travel information, green travel hubs and facilities for electric cars and bikes. Pioneering new energy projects will be set up so that residents take their energy from natural sources.
Funding will also be used for environmental education projects and boosting the energy efficiency of existing schools – including a new low carbon sixth form for the Cooper School in Bicester and retrofitting of primary schools and libraries in Whitehill-Bordon.
The cash is a major boost for the councils driving forward the innovative blueprints for the main eco-towns in their "masterplans", before seeking public approval and planning permission.
Housing Minister John Healey, said:
"Last year I gave the go-ahead to the first wave of world-leading eco-towns that will set the global standard for green living while helping tackle climate change and the shortage of affordable homes.
"Since then these four areas have done a huge amount of work to plan new homes designed and built to the toughest ever environmental standards. Today I’m backing them with £60m to help get these projects off the ground.
"This is the start of the country’s biggest ever eco-home building programme. As a first step, 600 will be built in these four areas – most will be for sale but some will be permanent eco-show homes. By 2016 there will be 10,000 new eco homes in these four pioneering areas. This means people will be able to experience green living for themselves and see how It can change their lives and save money.
"But green living isn't just about homes. That's why this cash will also help transform local schools and create new transport links and energy sources. By the time the eco-towns are finished green living will already be a way of life for these communities.
"Local workers, including apprentices, will help build these pioneering homes and other projects. This will arm them with the new skills in green construction, giving them a head start on their career paths."
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said:
"As the world faces ever greater challenges in tackling climate change, schools are a crucial part of our national effort towards a lower energy and greener Britain.
"With schools contributing around two per cent towards the UK's carbon footprint, we have a moral responsibility to reduce this and so last week we announced our plans to help schools be greener. Our £2.5 million of funding towards the eco-towns project will help set us on this road to new zero carbon schools and for reduced carbon emissions from existing schools with pilot projects in these areas.
"Our children deserve not only the best learning environments, but sustainable ones to protect the planet for their future and that of generations to come. The top supporters of these efforts are the young people themselves."