LEICESTERSHIRE ECO-TOWN PLANS ARE UNWORKABLE

Dear Editor,

An independent report, commissioned by four local authorities in Leicestershire, from Halcrow (one of the leading consultancies on urban design and planning,) has concluded that the proposed plans for an eco-town (‘Pennbury') are not detailed enough and are unworkable.

A number of key criticisms are levelled at the Co-op's Masterplan Vision, including:

• No convincing evidence to demonstrate that the economic roles envisaged will actually produce the number of jobs required.
• The poor connectivity of Pennbury to the strategic road network is likely to act as a constraint on the attraction of this location to employers.
• The Co-op's report provides no clear evidence on economic activity rates and does not demonstrate any clear linkages between the economic and housing strategies within the Masterplan.
• No convincing evidence is produced to support the assumption that 60% of Pennbury residents will work in the eco-town. 60% would be almost double that of neighbouring Oadby & Wigston's 34%.
• The prominent location of the site, at an elevated height, and the high densities proposed (75 dwellings per hectare) will create a very urbanised, dense form which will be difficult to assimilate into the surrounding countryside.
• There is little evidence that the Masterplan has seriously considered these aspects (Environment: ecology, land contamination, cultural heritage and archaeology and water resources/flood risk).

The Government was wrong to accept this particular site and it should never have been shortlisted last April.