5,000 home Eco Extension planned for St Neots

Proposals have been made to create a 5,000-home alternative to an “eco town” on the edge of the Cambridgeshire market town of St Neots. Huntingdonshire District Council has suggested to the Government that the town could be extended to create an environmentally friendly community which would boast low carbon emissions and “quality standards”. It believes that the proposed development, to be built south of the new Love’s Farm estate, could be a sustainable alternative to providing a new eco-town in Cambridgeshire. Cabinet member for planning strategy and transport at Huntingdonshire District Council Peter Bucknell said: “The development would be classed as an eco extension to the town. “Having a bigger population could have a knock-on effect of encouraging more stores, facilities such as a cinema and other great opportunities. The Government may also give us the upgrade to the A428 as a result of the development too.” He said homes would be built to high environmental standards and could boast features such as solar panels or combi boilers which burn certain waste such as wood chips. Huntingdonshire district councillor for St Neots Gordon Thorpe welcomed the proposal. He said: “There are already plans for expansion in St Neots and it would be good if homes with low carbon and high quality features could be incorporated into these. “The advantage to building these homes in St Neots is that this is an established area which already has its own transport links. “The only concern would be that would these homes be expensive to buy?” Plans for new, isolated, eco-towns have come under fire nationally after concerned residents voiced fears that many of the proposed schemes risked becoming car dependent housing estates and there was a lack of evidence that they were truly sustainable models of living and working. However, Huntingdonshire District Council together with Cambridgeshire Horizons - a not-for-profit organisation charged with driving forward sustainable growth - and other local authorities, says it has consistently argued against the eco-towns proposed in the county. The partnership says it has been putting forward better alternatives, such as the St Neots proposal, to meet the county’s housing need. District council leader Cllr Ian Bates said: “My council has an excellent record of accepting growth but it is vital to ensure that growth is planned in a way which enhances existing places. We believe our emerging and exciting proposal for St Neots has the potential to do just that if we are given the right support, especially from Central Government.”

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