"As a result of this high achievement, culture of excellence and the willingness to embrace new ideas, Broadland District Council has been chosen by the Government as a location for one of only 4 ecotowns in the UK " so says the advertisement for the post of New Communities Programme Manager with Broadland District Council.
Can we all sigh a huge sigh of relief then - the proposed eco-town is going to be built on Broadland District Council and not at Rackheath?
Surely the location for the proposed eco-towns was decided not on the excellence and supposed achievement of the local council but on a series of rigorous appraisals in terms of sustainability. Or have we been conned??
You know how they really choose these locations.
ReplyDeleteThe Labour Government write out a list of 52 sites and wait for the flack. After everyone has had a go at them they look to see who is putting up the least resistance and those are the places which they announce as successful. From the final 17 objections were received from 12 local communities, leaving 5 locations.
Rackheath is actually being promoted by Broadland District Council.
This was all in the hands of DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government), who did all the arm twisting and provided the financial sweeteners.
It was imposed and what is more the site does not comply with requirements of their own PPS.