A new Planning Policy Statement was prepared and published on 16 July 2009, describing the standards that eco-towns will have to meet,[4] after a consultation period that ended on 30 April 2009.
[8] The eco-towns programme was intended to offer the opportunity to achieve high standards of sustainable living while also maximising the potential for affordable housing.
The largest will provide up to 20,000 new homes, with officials saying the towns should be "zero-carbon" developments and should be exemplary in one area of sustainability, such as energy production or waste disposal.
The new environmentally-friendly towns – low-energy, carbon-neutral developments built from recycled materials – are intended to be largely car-free, with pedestrian and cycle-friendly environments.
This work is to inform local authorities who are contemplating growth and to showcase good practice, with reference to community engagement, design, environmental sustainability and masterplanning.
However, last but one Government housing minister Caroline Flint and previous incumbent Margaret Beckett have repeatedly assured critics that each eco-town proposal will go through the normal planning process.
[6] Many local residents' groups[20][21] have argued against the sustainability of locating an eco-town in their proximity, citing poor transport links and building on primarily greenfield and agricultural land.
[23] The general election of May 2010 resulted in a change of government, with a Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition replacing the Labour Party, against a backdrop of a prolonged economic downturn.