How green is our eco-town?

The East Midlands Politics Show asks if Gordon Brown's proposed "eco-towns" are really that eco friendly?

The Prime Minister has announced plans to build 10 such towns nationally and the Department for Communities has already received 50 bids from would-be developers.

One of them would comprise between 5,000 and 20,000 homes on some 4,000 acres south of Leicester, much of it farmland owned by the Co-op.

English Partnerships owns about 200 acres of the land concerned and many of the houses would be built on the site of the former Leicester airport.

EAST MIDLANDS ECO TOWN

• New town planned south of Leicester
• 4,000 acre site
• At least 1/3 of homes would be "affordable"

Affordable

The government will decide early in 2008 which schemes will get the go-ahead. In the meantime, it is emphasising their environmental benefits.

Eco-towns must be carbon neutral. At least a third of the homes would have to be "affordable".

And there would have to be a viable infrastructure for jobs, transport and other services.

But that does not impress councillors in the local authorities involved in east Leicestershire. Councils like Harborough and Oadby and Wigston.

"We need to put a stop to farm grabbing"
Edward Garnier MP, Conservative, Harborough

They resent the threatened loss of so much open countryside. And they are not convinced that the town will be a viable proposition.

Countryside safe?

We will be hearing from local protesters and the Conservative MP for Harborough, Edward Garnier.

He insists: "We need to put a stop to farm grabbing and expose the intellectual dishonesty that comes with hiding it behind the 'eco' word."

But the chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, Gideon Amos, believes the towns are an exciting prospect with many environmental benefits.

His association has been working with the Department of Communities on the criteria for eco-towns.

Protesters say the government should build eco-towns on brownfield sites. But is that realistic?

Are there enough suitable sites without eating into open countryside?

Should the government stride ahead with its eco-towns? Or do we need to go back to the drawing board?

As ever, we want to hear your views

Also: Working towards the future

Our political editor, John Hess, tests the reaction of East Midlands manufacturers to government plans to increase the number of apprentices to 400,000 within three years.

Last week we asked if it is realistic to raise the age at which children can leave school or training to 18.

The government says the increases in apprenticeships is part of its policy to prepare more young people skilled jobs.

But bosses need convincing that they will be sufficiently focused. And the Conservatives warn that too many young people drop out of existing schemes.

At least three quarters of German apprentices complete their three-year training successfully.

Here only half finish their training. And most of their courses last only a year.

So how do we make our apprenticeships work?

Join Jon Sopel and Marie Ashby on the Politics Show for the East Midlands. Sunday 18 November at 12:00 GMT on BBC One

Let us know what you think

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Town and Country Planning Association
Department of Communities and Local Government
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