Jim Pritchard
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Status: Offline | Camp and Airfield Among Named Eco-Town Sites
The locations of 4 new "eco-towns" have been announced as part of scaled-down Government plans. They are Rackheath, Norfolk; north west Bicester, Oxfordshire; Whitehill Bordon, East Hants; and the China Clay Community near St Austell, Cornwall.
RAF Rackheath was constructed in 1943 for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force. It closed in 1945 and the airfield site wasreturned to farming. Bordon was first laid out in 1899 by the Highland Light Infantry. The first occupants of Quebec Barracks were the Somersetshire Light Infantry, returning from South Africa in April 1903, and the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment arrived at St. Lucia Barracks from South Africa in June 1903. Bordon Camp was home to the Canadian Army during both world wars. Bordon is currently home to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, providing trade training. MoD has decided to relocate Armed Forces training from Whitehill Bordon to St Athan in 2011.
Gordon Brown had announced plans to create hundreds of thousands of homes in 10 "carbon neutral" communities. But the zero-carbon developments - some earmarked on open countryside - have caused protests and a legal challenge. Schemes at the 4 confirmed sites are proposed or broadly supported by local authorities, the Government said.
However, the developments - including 4,000 homes on the disused airfield at Rackheath, near Norwich, and 5,000 in the Cornwall town - must still go through the planning process. Construction would be under way by 2016, later than originally envisaged. Housing Minister John Healey wants to see a second wave of at least six eco-towns and is making up to £5 million available for councils to conduct further planning work on proposals. | | Report Post |
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