Green house unveiled

Barratt Developments has unveiled what it calls the first zero-carbon house developed by a volume house builder. I have tried contacting Redrow and Wates regarding plans/blue prints for zero carbon houses - still waiting though... Barratt aren't one of the developers but they seem to have the right idea - though building on greenfield is environmentally insane! See more here...

I love Janet Street Porter

Bought The Independent today - you should too!

Front Page Headline : Rise up against the Eco Towns by Janet Street Porter

Read what she has to say about the Ford proposals here: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/janet-streetporter-were-ready-to-rise-up-against-ecotowns-828257.html

And great that she singles out the Ford proposal as wrong!

Those consultation dates are out!

Just got this:

Ford Airfield Vision Group (FAVG) will be holding a series of consultation events on its Eco-town proposals beginning on 19th June in Littlehampton. The full details of the dates and venues are as follows:
· 19 June – Littlehampton Look & Sea Visitors Centre, Littlehampton – 12- 7pm
· 20 June – Regis Centre, Bognor Regis – 12 - 8pm
· 21 June - Ford Airfield Market – 7.30am – 2pm.
As well as visit the consultation events local people will be able to submit their views and comments via the Ford Eco-town website from the 19th June (www.fordairfieldecotown.co.uk).

19 JUNE - that's 11 days before the Government's consultation period finishes! They must be scared!

Back in The Garden

Loving this -> Back in the garden. The web has given us all an opportunity to create our own blog / journal / opportunity to protest. If everyone reading this blog creates their own, we'd soon build a huge blog cloud against Frod Eco-Town... I'm doing it, Back in the garden is, and so can you... Blog on...

Eco towns – The zero evidence footprint

Professor Nick Bosanquet and Elizabeth Truss

The eco town plans have been provided as one part of the answer to addressing climate change and housing need. However the Government has not presented any estimates of the costs of the programme; nor does there seem to have been any in-depth consideration of alternative approaches.

On the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from residential properties, it would seem logical to put the majority of focus on the 99 per cent, or 26.4 million, dwellings that are already built. The 120,000 eco houses planned at the moment represent just 0.4 per cent of the total housing stock. There is a greatly disproportionate focus on a very few houses. Click here for more...

Gas, gas, gas!

We all know natural gas is a non renewable resource and is carbon polluting. On page 9 0f the Ford Airfield Eco-Town proposal they inform us, “The existing 180mm diameter medium pressure gas main along Yapton Road is a strategic supply main for the Arun district. New development at Ford would easily connect to this existing gas main which passes through the development site and by reinforcement to the existing district gas network”.

A non-renewable resource in an eco-Town - not very eco, is it? Another contradiction in the proposal - me thinks! I Can't wait to tell Aunt Sally about this...

March will start at 10am on Saturday 7 June

Just a quick note to say that the march will be kicking off at 10am - we were asked to start earlier because of the Church Fete in Yapton that afternoon.

Caroline Flint's Blooper!

UK house prices could fall "at best" by 5-10% this year, according to secret Cabinet briefing notes accidentally revealed by a housing minister.

Caroline Flint's notes also said: "We can't know how bad it will get."

The notes were photographed as Ms Flint carried them into Number 10 for a weekly Cabinet session. Click for more...

The March plans - details so far!

Backinthegarden asked for some details of the march - and thanks for the supportive Blog by the way (I've dropped you an email today!)

The march will be starting in Yapton at 10am on Saturday 7 June. The exact route is not yet clear, but we will be walking around some of the perimeter of the proposed site - we are a bit constrained by the fact that the developers own most of the land, but there are public footpaths we can use.

The Parish Council last night said that we could use some of the Yapton Playing Field for parking if people need it. In the afternoon it is the Yapton Church Fete - so we hope that will make it a great afternoon to stay around a while and have some cake!

Our MP's will be there, as will Ben Fogle and a whole lot of other local people who object to this scheme to ruin our villages!

I'm wondering if we should have prizes for the best banners?

Yapton Parish Council decision

At its AGM last night, Yapton Parish Council decided that they would be writing to object to the proposed Eco Town. With the exception of the Chairman, who abstained so that he could participate at District level in the decision and therefore said that he would not take a position on the issue, the Council were UNANIMOUS that they were opposed to the Eco Town.

They said that Yapton did not need that many houses - there are only 40 people on the housing waiting list for the Ford, Yapton and Climping area - and yet the proposal includes 2000 'affordable homes'. They said that the traffic is already appalling in the area and that the developers will provide no additional infrastruture until 2000 houses were built. They saw many other negatives and NO positives - the council will now prepare their response in line with that decision.

The PC's decision was welcomed by the many local residents from Yapton and other villages who attended the meeting to find out the situation and raise their concerns about these proposals.

No 10 Website Petition reaches 500

So the No 10 Website Petition has now gone beyond 500 - which is a good start (that's equivalent to the whole population of Climping for example!) - but as we are told that No 10 don't really care too much about the petitions on their own site, you must also sign the written petition or the on-line petition linked to that one.

www. nofordecotown.com is the place - or download the written form from here and get it signed by everyone you know and send it in!

This is the only consultation with the public so far available

Yes - this is a picture from the Developer's website entitled 'CONSULT'. It's what they are meant to be doing right now. They say on their website that they will announce details of the consultation process in early May!

I wonder if the meeting with the councillors this week is their whole consultation process?

Gary Pleasants gpleasants@quatro-pr.co.uk is the man to ask according to their website - so why not drop him a line to ask him if this consultation will ever happen? Or is the photo the whole story?

Task force gives housing the green light!

The zero-carbon homes of the future should self-generate the vast majority of the energy they use, but a small amount of near-site or off-site renewable generation will also be allowed, a report says today.

The UK Green Building Council's (GBC) new report, The Definition of Zero Carbon, was thrashed out by a range of stakeholders trying to work out a blueprint for the provision of zero-carbon homes from 2016 mandated by the government. Click here for more...

Picnic & Protest Day?

Just an idea to gauge interest. Could we organise a village picnic on the playing field at Yapton?

Invite people down to speak - perhaps Spirit FM would provide music..? Could this coincide with the march?

Time is short but surely we could arrange something..?