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28 October 2014

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You are in: Leicester > Places > Places Features > Eco-Town: The Interviews

Eco House in The Wintles, near Bishop's Castle

Eco-Town: The Interviews

On 03 April 2008 the government announced that the proposed Leicestershire eco-town had been put onto a government shortlist. Listen to interviews with those for and against the plans.

Update: Exhibition by the Co-Operative Group

The Co-Operative Group have announced that as part of their ongoing consultation with local people they will be holding several exhibitions around the county.

The aim of the exhibition is to give local people the chance to find out more about the proposed eco-town and to allow them to meet the project team.

The dates are:

Tuesday 10 June - The Three Swans, High Street, Market Harborough

Wednesday 11 June - Parklands Leisure Centre, Wigston Road, Oadby

Friday 13 June and Saturday 14 June - Exhibition Marquee on site of proposed eco-town, Leicester Airfield Gartree Road

Monday 16 June - Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Aylestone Road, Leicester

The exhibitions will be taking place from 11:00 to 20:00.

Background: 04 April 2008

If the south-east Leicestershire eco-town is built, it will be one of the first new towns in England in 40 years.

It's near Stoughton and is on a shortlist of 15 sites, from which the eventual Eco-town locations will be chosen later this year.

If it makes the final cut, it'll be called Pennbury and will include 12 to 15 thousand new homes.

Read: BBC News report

Read the BBC News report to find out more about the announcement of the shortlist...

Since the plans for the eco-town were revealed, people living near the proposed site have started a campaign against the plans.

It was backed by local MPs from all parties, including the Conservative MP for Harborough, Edward Garnier; the Labour MP for Leicester East Keith Vaz, the Conservative MP for Melton and Rutland, Alan Duncan.

Listen: Interview with English Partnerships and David Taylor MP

BBC Leicester's Chris Baxter spoke to David Hughes, the East Midlands Regional Director of English Partnerships, who are advising the government on the eco-towns, and to David Taylor, the Labour MP for North West Leicestershire.

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David Taylor, MP for North West Leics

David Taylor, MP for North West Leics

Plus listen to what local MPs Edward Garnier and Alan Duncan had to say, and the leader of Harborough District Council, Graham Hart...

But what advantages would the eco-town bring to the area?

The land's owner - and major player in the Eco-town proposal for this area - is the Co-operative Group.

Listen: Interview with The Co-operative Group

BBC Leicester's Chris Baxter spoke to the Co-Operative Group's Head of Development in the East Midlands, Graham Ramsbottom...

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last updated: 05/06/2008 at 16:31
created: 04/04/2008

Have Your Say

What do you think of the plans for the eco-town in south-east Leicestershire?

The BBC reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

Shinji Karber
NO!Need I say more?

Lee Shorter
This is nothing to do about providing affordable housing or for that matter Eco houses, whatever they are, it is about greed and profit. Nothing else! The Government has no right to force this upon us !

keith phillips
the pennbury eco-town would be a disaster for the countryside of east leicestershire and must not go ahead

Thomas Liddicott
I am both puzzled and suprised that in these times of food shortages, the Co-op should want to cover 750 hectares of farm land with tarmac and housing. Surely the Co-ops first priority should be food production. There are plenty of so called brown field sites for housing, eco or otherwise, without destroying valuable farm land. Parliament and the government should be equally aware of the need for Britain to be come more selfsufficient in feeding the population, as well as providing housing.

David Bishop
It's totally shocking listening to Ramsbottom. Utter rubbish. Nothing can justify concreteing over thousands of acres of green countryside. There are thousands of unoccupied properties in Leics that could be developed. This is all about making millions and political point scoring.Coop, Labour, Tory constituancy, come on people, let's stop these people before its to late.

rosalind willatts
The name Pennbury seems to have been concocted from out of a hat. It has no relationship to the area. "20 years ago the CO-OP planned a large settlement on the site to be called Stretton Magna, after the parish that was there and much diminished since the Black Death. The present settlement of one church and half a dozen properties is called Great Stretton, which means the same. As the civil parish of Great Stretton disappeared in the 1990s the appropriate name would be STRETTON MAGNA, or GARTREE TOWN as it is on the ancient Roman Road known as the Gartree Road. The site is in the Hundred of Gartree. As the land once belonged to the Powys-Keck family before it was sold to the Co-op perhaps a name reflecting this could be found. Were the settlement to be built.

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