Broadland District Council have published their definition of a Low Carbon Community on the GNDP website (click on 'Hearing Documents (Examination)' and scroll right down to the end to find RF 121):
A co-ordinated development which, as a whole, addresses climate change impacts and meets the standards set out in the Eco Towns supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1, published in July 2009. This will include:
• an emphasis on renewable and low carbon energy generation;
• high thermal and energy efficiency for all buildings in the community;
• measures to maximise water efficiency;
• the promotion of education and lifestyle factors including community enterprise;
• extensive green infrastructure promoting local food production, recreation and biodiversity;
• measures to reduce the need to travel, especially by car, including easily accessible local facilities, the adoption of travel plans and public transport, walking and cycling initiatives;
• respect for, and enhancement of, local cultural and environmental assets;
• demonstration projects for low carbon living.
It seems to be just an eco-town but one wearing a woolly coat - with phrases like " a co-ordinated development which, as a whole, addresses climate change impacts" and "measures to maximise water efficiency" actually conveying very little substance.
Actually it is not an eco-town and we wonder why they are still in receipt of of huge swathes of public funds just to build a housing development. Their exemplar looks very dodgy with houses being built to Code level 4, a standard which will be the norm for all development if the JCS goes ahead. The GNDP have already warned that if an eco-town is not viable they will just build here anyway.
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