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New eco-towns could help tackle climate change

Published 7 March 2007

New small zero carbon 'eco-towns' built on brownfield land could lead the way in cutting carbon emissions and building affordable homes, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said today.

New small zero carbon 'eco-towns' built on brownfield land could lead the way in cutting carbon emissions and building affordable homes, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said today.

The Government announced it would consider plans for eco-towns put forward by local authorities as part of the New Growth Points scheme. Forty-five councils have already come forward with plans for new homes and jobs to respond to serious housing pressures in their areas, and some authorities are also looking at plans for 'new settlements'. Ministers will now consider these plans within the Growth Points scheme, insisting on proposals for zero- or low carbon developments which make the best use of brownfield land.

New eco-towns, of between 5,000 - 10, 000 homes, would have strong public transport links to nearby towns and cities. They would make the best use of brownfield land and could be built on public sector surplus land such as former MoD or NHS sites. Ministers believe these new developments could help drive the environmental technologies needed to ensure all new homes are zero carbon within a decade, as set out in last December's zero carbon timetable.

Yvette Cooper today announced £2m funding to develop plans for the eco-towns. She also announced the appointment of Professor David Lock, Chair of the Town and Country Planning Association, to report to Government on further developing the criteria for eco-towns.

Yvette Cooper said:

    "We desperately need more homes - and we desperately need to cut carbon emissions to tackle climate change. New eco-towns could build low carbon design into the fabric of the community, not just into individual houses.

    "We have already made substantial progress, with the new timetable for zero carbon development and proposals for places like Northstowe.

    "But we need to go further. Now is the time for us to look at new eco-towns, put forward by local councils. They could use public transport and new green designs to deliver low cost and low carbon homes for the future, making good use of brownfield land."

Notes to editors

Housing Growth
In its Response to Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply on 5 December 2005, the Government announced the intention to increase the rate of housing delivery in England from 160,000 homes per year then to 200,000 per year by 2016.
Departmental research has found that over the last 30 years demand for new homes has increased by 30%, yet building rates have halved in the last 30 years.  Only three out of ten of today's ten year olds will be able to afford to buy a home when they have families of their own if we stick with current building rates.

New Growth Points
45 towns and cities were confirmed as Growth Points last October and will be entering into a long-term Partnership for Growth with Government.  The New Growth Points have the potential to deliver 100,000 new homes by 2016.  The press release can be found at
/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2269

David Lock
David Lock's report will feed into a further assessment of eco-towns by the Government, with an announcement later this year.

Zero Carbon
Zero carbon means no net carbon emissions from all energy uses in the home.

Currently the energy used to heat, light and run our homes account for 27 per cent of all the UK's emissions at around 40 million tonnes.

Key features of a zero carbon development could include technologies such as:

Combined heat and power
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a fuel-efficient energy technology that, unlike conventional forms of power generation, puts to use the by-product heat that is normally wasted to the environment. CHP can increase the overall efficiency of fuel use to more than 75 per cent, compared with around 50 per cent or less from conventional electricity generation.

District heating and cooling systems
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and/or commercial heating
requirements. District heating systems (DHS) distribute steam or hot water to multiple buildings. The heat can be provided from a variety of sources, including geothermal, CHP plants, waste heat from industry, and purpose-built heating plants.

Aquifer Thermal Energy
Aquifer thermal energy storage uses underground water reserves called aquifers. There are two wells (typically) on either side with hydraulic coupling. One well is for the warm water and the other one is for the cold.
In the winter, warm water is cooled and passed to the cold well. Energy is extracted by a heat exchanger for heating purposes. In summer, the process is reversed and cold water is used for cooling. Once heated, the water is stored in the cold well. The advantage about this system is that it is environmentally safe; the water which circulates from underground to the heat exchangers and back can not be contaminated as it always remains in the system.

Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) transfer heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water.

Passive Heating
Passive heating systems are used in buildings which are insulated to a very high standard and make use of solar thermal gain and heat exchanges on ventilation systems, so that no external energy source (other than perhaps background heat generated by people living there and appliances) is required to keep the building warm.

Solar and Wind Energy
Solar energy can be used in a number of ways to provide energy. Passive solar energy is the use of sunlight to keep buildings warm through the direct warming effect of the sun on a building, eg via walls and glazing. Thermal solar panels which provide space heating and hot water. Another method is to convert solar energy to electricity in photovoltaic cells.

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