Wednesday 29 October 2008

The Paul Foot Awards 2008

I was delighted to read in Private Eye that Jim Oldfield of Rossington Community Newsletter, South Yorks Newspapers, has been nominated for the Paul Foot Award 2008. This is an annual award for campaigning journalists.

Here is some of the explanation of why he was nominated:

Before Britain had ever heard of eco-towns, Rossington Community Newsletter was featuring the activities of a group of landowners and speculators to plant one in the village of Rossington - apparently against the wishes of 13,000 odd residents. In month by month reporting the Community Newsletter:
- "Outed' one local councillor for helping frame this and other developments while not declaring his interest as a significant landowner, in partnership with former Metro Centre developer and Newcastle United Chairman, Sir John Hall
- Ran a village poll which showed the residents to be overwhelming against development in their village
- Exposed the government's short-listing of the Rossington bid as having a huge number of houses planned for green belt land. After the resultant national newspaper publicity, the government u-turned and said that no green belt land would be used for eco-towns... and the Rossington bid was cut from 15,000 to 5,000

Tuesday 28 October 2008

Beckett softens approach...?

Planning Resource website


Government plans to build ten eco towns by 2020 is now a "hope" rather than a target, new housing minister Margaret Beckett has told a Commons Select Committee.
Beckett also called the government’s target of building three million homes by 2020 an “ambition”.

It is markedly different language from the defiant line taken by former housing minister Caroline Flint.

Beckett was first responding to Sunday newspaper reports that the DCLG has concluded only “one or two” of the 15 short listed projects are genuinely viable.

“We are only at the first stage of consultation. We have had a substantial response and we are continuing with the hope that we will be able to identify ten (sites) at a later stage,” she said.
When asked if government is sticking to its pledge to increase house building to 240,000 homes a year by 2016, she replied: “I think the most challenging of the targets was the three million, but that was an ambition actually, rather than a target.

“The target was the figure for 2016 and that is something we will have to see how we can address.”

The incoming minister said there were no plans “at the present time” to scrap the target.

Neither green, nor towns!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/10/28/dl2802.xml

The Telegraph focusing back on Eco-Towns today!

What does this mean...?

Just had an email to say:

"In case you missed it, the 7.00am South Today news slot confirmed that the Government South East Plan has included the Eco-Town development at Whitehill and Bordon. "

No mention of Ford - hopefully something will become clear later...?

Sunday 26 October 2008

Flagship eco-town plan falters in tough climate

Oh dear, it looks like Gordon Brown's flagship plan to build a string of environmentally friendly 'eco-towns' across Britain has been dealt a critical blow, with only two of the 10 sites promised now expected to be built. Click here for more...