Eco-town bid warning rung

Planning, 11 July 2008

They warned that if problems such as design and ageing infrastructure highlighted in a 2002 inquiry are not recognised, such schemes could fall into social decay and physical dereliction.

The Commons communities and local government committee called for an analysis to inform eco-town plans and other growth areas. "It would be an act of folly not to spend a small sum on trying to prevent past mistakes being repeated," said chairwoman Phyllis Starkey.

"The experience of the new towns can teach us a lot about how we should approach long-term planning of current and future large-scale urban development."

Meanwhile, the government's eco-town drive suffered another blow this week after developers of two more of the 15 shortlisted projects withdrew their bids.

The companies behind the New Marston and Curborough projects have backed out following East Lindsey Council's decision to drop plans for Manby last week.

A DCLG spokesman said: "This is the rigorous process of assessment working just as it should to weed out proposals that are not strong enough or cannot improve."