Press Release
Eco towns must embrace green infrastructure
3 April 2008
Britain’s new eco-towns must seize the opportunity to illustrate what truly green infrastructure can contribute towards sustainable living if they are to be worthy of their name, says the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint's statement today on eco-towns appears light on criteria about environmental quality such as wildlife habitats and green spaces with more emphasis on business and housing, according to the Trust.
Ecotowns should not only protect ancient woodland but also include planting new woodland near developments - and use wood as a building material instead of high carbon materials such as steel and cement.
The Trust remains adamant that building on greenfield sites is undesirable, but argues that any new ecotowns must respect the natural environment and establish principles of ecologically friendly living which should flow through to education, energy, public health transport and a sense of community.
For example, the Trust’s Woodland Access Standard suggests that no-one should live more than 500m from at least one area of accessible woodland of two hectares (five acres) - with at least one area of accessible woodland of no less than 20 hectares (50 acres) within a 4km journey from home.
“A healthy thriving natural environment close to where people live is a key contributor to human health, says James Cooper, Trust head of government affairs.
“No development should ever result in any loss of semi-natural habitats such as ancient woodland and we maintain that natural buffer zones must exist between building and concentrations of ancient woodland.”
One major building component should be wood obtained through legal and sustainable sources as part of a strategy of substituting low carbon materials for high carbon materials such as cement and steel, says the Trust.
The Woodland Trust Access Standard also helps to deliver the Natural England Accessible Natural Greenspace standard.
More info at woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodsforpeople
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