Your location: Have your say on eco-towns
28 July 2008
Shelter is encouraging local people to make their voices heard in the debate about the proposed Pennbury eco-town.
Everyone, including those affected by the lack of affordable housing, should get involved in the consultation process on the plans to ensure local housing needs are fully discussed.
Shelter has produced an information booklet that explains the housing situation in and around Pennbury to make sure local residents have the fullest picture possible in order to make an informed decision on whether or not the eco-town should go ahead.
The booklet outlines the shortage of affordable housing in Leicestershire and the effect this is having on local people. There are currently more than 13,600 households on council waiting lists in the three local authority areas relevant to Pennbury, yet the amount of affordable homes available keeps falling. Looking at the Leicestershire housing market area as a whole the levels of need and shortage of affordable housing increases further.
Krista Blair, Shelter’s senior regional campaign officer for the East Midlands, said: 'Most people acknowledge there is a desperate shortage of affordable housing in Leicestershire.
'We hope this booklet spells out exactly what the extent of this problem is, and highlights why we think the proposed eco-town, or other developments of the same scale, could help to address this need if planned properly through local consultation.'
Ms Blair added: 'At present we are supportive of the proposed plans for at least 4,000 affordable homes in Leicestershire, which are desperately needed in the county.
'Shelter understands people have concerns about aspects of the Co-op’s bid that we have not addressed in this booklet, including supporting transport and infrastructure issues.
'However, we hope that by participating in the public consultation the people of Leicestershire will be able to raise their concerns and shape the way the proposed eco-town might look.'
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be producing leaflets on all of the proposed eco-towns. Keep an eye on the eco-towns page for more information.
