Council backs 'eco-town' proposal

The project has been met with opposition from local people

An eco-town in Leicestershire is a step closer to being built after a council gave its support to the project.

Leicester City Council said it would back plans for the new town in Pennbury as long as certain conditions were met.

The Co-operative Group wants to build a a 15,000-home settlement on a small airfield site south of Leicester.

The council said it would support the proposal as long as a tram system was built and at least 30% of the town was made up of affordable housing.

But the project faces opposition from many local people.

Speaking on behalf of Cascet - the group set up to oppose the Pennbury plans - Simon Galton said the city council's approval would not make much difference.

"I think a lot of people are going to feel let down by this but in the end, Leicester City Council is not the planning authority for this area," said Mr Galton.

We think the council will be able to back this proposal...if it meets all of our requirements Councillor Patrick Kitterick, Leicester City Council

"If the government stands by what it said that, in the end, if these eco-towns go ahead, it will have to go through the local planning process."

Councillor Patrick Kitterick, of Leicester City Council, said: "After considering all of the information we have had so far, we believe that the Pennbury site has potential as an eco-town.

"Our colleagues in other authorities may well share our views on some of the issues we've identified, but we understand that they will also have other issues which need to be taken into account when judging the merits of the proposal.

"There are still many more discussions we need to have, but we think that the council will be able to back this proposal if the final scheme is one which meets all of our requirements, and stands to benefit the city and the people of Leicester."

Carbon-neutral

The council also said the new town should face the city and it wanted to be involved in the house building and community development.

Detailed plans unveiled by the Co-operative Group revealed proposals for seven primary schools, two secondary schools and £5m for a tram system feasibility study.

The Co-op is bidding to be part of a government scheme to create 10 carbon-neutral developments, which have been dubbed eco-towns.

A final decision is expected from the government early next year.

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About 15,000 homes will be built on rural land