23rd Jul 2008
The government’s approach to eco-towns is “deeply flawed” and wide open to legal challenges, the Local Government Association has warned, but the Department for Communities and Local Government has poured cold water over the claims.
Read more about the “Deeply Flawed” Eco-Towns
Householders wanting to live in Gordon Brown’s pioneering eco-towns face service charges of more than £500 a year on top of their annual council tax bill. Developers in several of the 13 proposed sites are planning to levy annual charges for subsidised bus travel and management costs to be paid to a local community trust.
Find out more about the Eco-Town dwellers service charge
Campaigners against an eco-town at Hanley Grange have warned the proposal could still go ahead - despite the Wellcome Trust announcing it would not sell land to developers.
Read the rest of the article on the Hanley Grange Eco-Town
22nd Jul 2008
We have a government target to cut our carbon emissions by 15 per cent by 2010, and far more stringent targets are being proposed. Patients don’t really appreciate how much energy and water we use. But in our trust, more people are aware of it - we’ve been banging the drum now for three years.
Read the rest of the article on the NHS goes green
The announcement by the Water Consumer Council a week ago that bills might rise by £30 per household and that more drought orders and hosepipe bans could be imposed, will pile pain on hard-pressed homeowners. But there are ways to harvest water for many of your needs and you could also be helping to reduce flash flooding.
Read more about how saving water can cut bills
Developers want to build a community with 5,000 homes and 2,500 jobs at the site of the former Rossington Colliery, alongside the M18. Under the proposals, a railway station and new road would be created to allow direct access for buses to Doncaster town centre, with the route forming the first link of a road between the motorway and Robin Hood airport. But to ensure the carriageways remained free-flowing for buses, private cars would be banned from using the road during the most congested periods.
Find out more about how motorists may be forced to give way to Eco-Road plans
21st Jul 2008
The number of Gordon Brown’s flagship eco-towns should be slashed by two thirds because most of the proposed schemes are not green enough, senior civil servants have warned. They have advised ministers to cut the number from 10 to only two or three “exemplar” towns, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
Read the rest of the article about the scrapped eco-towns
The man behind controversial plans to build an eco-town at a former Norfolk RAF base said last night he was prepared to move his scheme closer to Norwich after it emerged ministers were keen on the idea.
Read the rest of the article on the relocated eco-town
A top Government minister is expected to visit the county to discuss eco-town plans in the next two weeks. However, it has not been confirmed whether housing minister Caroline Flint will visit the actual site of the proposed eco-town, south-east of Leicester. It is believed she may be visiting Market Harborough on Monday, July 28, but the Government said this was not finalised. Campaigners are concerned the minister may not find time to visit the location of the proposed 15,000-home eco-town.
Read the rest of the article on the eco-friendly MP
17th Jul 2008
Fife residents would install more renewable technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels on their homes if they knew it would lead to lower fuel bills, research by one of the country’s leading environmental organisations has revealed.
Read the rest of the article on going green to cut energy bills
Littlehampton Town Council has voted to oppose the proposed Ford Eco-Town, following a heated debate. The full council met on Thursday, June 29 with members agreeing by a 12-three majority to object to the scheme on a number of grounds, including a lack of transport links and concerns over how “eco” the town would really be.
Read the rest of the article on Ford Eco-Town rejected by local counsil
Two more major organisations have waded into the debate over plans for an eco-town at the former RAF Coltishall airbase by voicing fresh concerns. With an announcement due within the next six months on whether the ambitious proposals will make the cut, Reporter Kim Briscoe takes a look at the support and opposition for the plan.
Read the rest of the article on the growning list of Eco proposals
27th Jun 2008
Plans to build an eco-town near Manby have been axed - to the delight of shocked protestors. East Lindsey District councillors rejected a potential multi-million pound Government investment scheme to build 5,000 homes on the former RAF site. At last night’s full council meeting, they had been asked to give the go ahead for a £100,000 Government-funded feasibility study into the scheme - but instead voted to withdraw interest in the project entirely.
read the article on plans for Eco-Towns discarded
Thursday 11.20am - Following the decision to scrap plans to build an eco town near Louth East Lindsey District Council has said it still needs to tackle the lack of affordable housing. The council will now develop work with its local partners to address the key issues of affordable housing, skills, investment and coastal flood defences.
read the article on Eco-Town rejected to allow work on other issues
A Lincolnshire council shortlisted for one of the Government’s controversial eco-towns has withdrawn its application. The proposed towns - ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 homes - have been hailed by ministers as the future, but critics claim they would be “simply unsustainable”.
read the article on Eco-Towns stopped and deemed to be unsustainable
19th Jun 2008
Every year for the next 40 years, half a million UK homes will need extra insulation, new windows and other energy saving features if we are to fight climate change and fuel poverty. The vast majority of our homes were built decades, if not centuries, ago and leak hot air. Eight-five per cent of these draughty, leaky homes will still be standing in 2050, by which date we must have cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent.
read the article on cutting heat emissions in homes
As part of the government’s plan to build energy efficient, affordable housing in Britain, Manby or Strubby could be chosen to house a new eco town of 5,000 homes after being shortlisted by the government.
read the article on more plans for eco-towns
TheToyota Yaris has been named Green Car of the Year 2008 by the Environmental Transport Association. The car named and shamed as the least green car is the Dodge SRT-10 sports car.
read the article on Green car of the year
17th Jun 2008
In todays news the housing minister Caroline Flint and protest campaigner Terry Knott talk about their reasons for and against the development of the Ford eco-town, whilst Rothwell plans are ditched and Otley’s plans are formed.
Last week, housing minister Caroline Flint issued tough new guidance for councils on granting planning permission in flood risk areas. The move came despite her having already shortlisted Ford’s flood plain as a potential site for a new eco-town. Here, Samuel Underwood asks Ms Flint and protest campaigner Terry Knott about their reasons for and against the development.
read the article on housing minister Claire Fints comments
Developers have ditched a secret plan to transform green belt land surrounding Rothwell Oulton & Woodlesford into an ‘eco-town’ by building 9,000 houses.The YEP revealed how a plan had been submitted to the Government proposing to build all almost all greenbelt land in the Rothwell area.
read the article on the Rothwell eco-town
A pioneering scheme to transform Otley’s former Wharfedale General Hospital into a 75-home eco village’ has been unveiled. English Partnerships wants to create a sustainable development on the Newall Carr Road site that will be powered by a bio-mass boiler and include new homes with living grass roofs.
read the article on the proposed Otley eco-town
16th Jun 2008
Two big stories about the local communities saying no to the eco-town proposals for their areas.
Yorkshire’s political leaders yesterday sent a damning message to the Government: “We do not want an eco-town in our region.” The leaders of 11 councils forming the Leeds City Region – from Harrogate and York to Huddersfield and Barnsley – united without regard to party lines to reject attempts to force an eco-town on the district.
read the article on Leeds eco-town meeting
A Resounding “NO” nearly lifted the roof at a public meeting of protesters opposed to an eco-town at former RAF Manby.
With the prospect of 5,000 new homes on parts of the ex-airbase, more than 200 people packed Grimoldby Village Hall to hear speakers condemn the East Lindsey District Council proposal as “unbelievable”.
read the article on RAF Manby eco-town proposal
We run a one day training course held in Aylesbury for installation engineers. 
The new heating systems use the waste from saw mills, which are compressed into a pellet to give an efficient and eco-friendly heating solution for your home or office.
Bio fuel can be manufactured from many types of plants but the most common sources are palm oil and oil seed rape oil.
Installation, replenishment and maintenance information.
Here you will find answers to common questions people have.