Consultation holds up final naming of up to 10 sites for zero-carbon communities

The government is to delay the final decision on naming the first UK eco-towns until early next year.

The final selection of up to 10 eco-towns will be announced three months later than planned because of a second consultation stage that will not finish until December, the Department for Communities and Local Government said.

The sites designated for construction of zero-carbon communities of between 5,000 and 2,000 homes are being selected from an initial shortlist of 15, although two sites have already dropped out.

Following completion of the selection procedure, the chosen eco-town schemes will still have to go through the usual procedure for obtaining local authority planning approval.

The sites in the running for eco-town status are:

  • Bordon, Hampshire
  • Coltishall, Norfolk
  • Elsenham, Essex
  • Ford, West Sussex
  • Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire
  • Imerys, nr St Austell, Cornwall
  • Leeds city region, West Yorkshire
  • Marston Vale, Bedfordshire
  • Middle Quinton, Warwickshire
  • Pennbury, Leicestershire
  • Rossington, South Yorkshire
  • Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire
  • Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire