Protesters fighting the government's discredited 'eco-town' sham descend on Westminster today with environmentalists and local campaigners set to expose the money-grabbing plan to build thousands of new houses in the open countryside.
An official government report has warned that many of the so called 'eco-towns' are just big housing estates on greenfield sites with an eco-friendly 'green' label stuck in front.
In the face of a huge and growing backlash, a short list of 57 was whittled down to 15 and due to be cut down further.
Instead of being 'eco', protestors say the schemes will just ruin the environment and ride rough-shod over people, with the trickery of new planning laws used to fast track the developments and by-pass the planning process with a new expensive, unelected and unaccountable quango.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England's interactive map shows the true extent of the deceit.
As well as the names of property developers behind the schemes, one with financial backing from supermarket giant Tesco, the map show over half are on MoD-owned land and the government stands to make millions from the sell-off.
To add insult, the new towns will be built to a lower 'green' standard than elsewhere. And with the current credit crunch who can afford to buy a new house?
Protesters, who point out the potential environmental disaster to their areas, are being joined by the Media Class NIMBYs and powerful environment and countryside groups.
Last week saw the first casualty of the scheme, when a local council scrapped its plans for a 5,000 house 'eco-town' in Manby, Lincolnshire.
Meanwhile the government plans to counter criticism - with a PR roadshow.
1 comment:
If your readers would be interested to know more about the campaign against the Weston Otmoor eco-town near Oxford, would you be kind enough to add a link to the official action group site, the Weston Front at http://www.westonfront.com/
Many thanks.
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