Eco-towns: throwing money in the bin- the recycling bin of course...

Finally, the financial realities of Gordon Brown's proposed "eco-towns" are coming to light.  This weekend, the Department of Communities and Local Government announced that only two of their initial 10 planned eco-towns are still feasible. 

Environmentally friendly communities and housing projects are both noble ideas in concept; however, eco-towns are simply a dangerous waste of money in the midst of the impending recession.

But, typical of Government, they refuse to admit that eco-towns are not viable in today’s economy, or at all.  Private investors have backed out after accepting the realities of the financial crisis, people are screaming for relief from the real fear of losing their homes, and yet according to the Department for Communities and Local Government, the eco-town program is "still on track".

Not only are they going to cost outrageous amounts of money to develop and maintain, but (and previous TPA blogs have commented on; see Mike Denham on "The Crap Towns Of The Future" and Matt Sinclair on "Eco-town plans showcase politicians' ability to keep repeating their mistakes") they present real environmental costs to the areas that would be used for the communities (seems a bit counterintuitive doesn't it?).  They would also likely be targets for regeneration sooner than other developments, creating further unnecessary costs in the future.

So add up all the costs and it hardly seems like a good return on their investment does it?  Even green supporters are unlikely to move to these towns as high prices and inconvenient regulations would hamper their everyday lives.  In a time of financial crisis when house prices are plummeting, people are moving into negative equity on their mortgages, and the government is spending BILLIONS to bail out the banks granting those mortgages, I simply don't understand how the government can have the cash to waste on eco-towns when strict responsible finance plans are imperative. 

Doesn't Gordon Brown have more important initiatives to fumble without wasting even more money we don't have?

Comments

[Gavin]

"hardly seems like a good return on their investment does it" - that would be why the people that were risking their own money pulled out

[Steve Robson]

Goodness me, another reasonable looking young tory chick. Where are you finding them all?

[Hardeep Singh]

Just because someone's quesions government policy doesn't automatically make them a 'Tory chick' that's just uncalled for.

What idiot actually believes that we'll just be able to walk to work in a couple of minutes. Society is increasingly global and thus mobile yet the government seems to be swimming against the current. It appears that they think they're going to usher in a new age of local jobs, what company would want to burden itself with such inflexibility? If it's imposed on them because the government's own idealogy then those companies will rightly move abroad.

[Dave Clemo]

When the proles find out that cars will be banned from these Eco-towns, when they have to pay to leave the enclave, when they have to walk miles to the bus stop they will be unhappy, very unhappy.
It will pale into insignificance when they discover that there won't be any flush toilets either!
Crap idea from a crap ideology

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