Lord Rogers is correct to describe eco town plans as 'one of the biggest mistakes' the Government could make, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at FMB said: "Eco town plans are nothing short of a Government 'greenwash' to hide its outdated housing policy. The reality is that we already know how to create sustainable settlements as demonstrated by the BedZed affordable eco-homes development in south London which has been a shining example to the UK house building industry since 2002. The simple fact is that building brand new 'eco-towns' outside existing towns and cities is a really bad idea when there are 675,000 homes in England alone sitting empty and ripe for refitting with green technologies."

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Berry continued: "Given that demand for housing is right across the UK it makes more sense for every village, town and city to have new housing rather than creating brand new settlements. How green are these new towns going to be in transport terms? The sad truth is that any new eco-town can only be another car-based satellite suburb. Even with car clubs, cycle lanes and a top-notch bus service, these places are going to be packed out with new roads and, as we all know, new roads lead to more car use - and more carbon emissions.

"There is also the issue about the role of small contractors in this whole debate or rather their absence!. Handing out massive contracts like this works against all the smaller, more innovative construction building companies springing up around the country which leaves open the possibility of bad decisions being multiplied on a grand scale.

He continued: "The answer to creating green settlements is not to rely solely on one technology or one supplier. A far better model for this scheme would be a patchwork of hundreds of smaller eco-projects, with contracts awarded by local regions and communities for both new homes (in existing towns, near existing transport links) and refurbishment of old buildings, with green measures spread around a range of proven technologies. Now that really would be a revolution in turning Britain into a greener more sustainable place to live."

(CD/JM)