Eco-towns under fire

Engineers have expressed fear that the government’s eco-towns will not utilise innovative technology and will instead become ‘slightly better versions’ of normal housing developments.

The government recently unveiled locations for four new ‘zero carbon developments’ in Norfolk, Oxfordshire, east Hants and Cornwall. The eco-town scheme, which will break ground in 2016, will include technology such as smart metering to track energy use, community heat sources and charging points for electric cars.

Simon Harrison, chair of the energy sector panel for the Institution of Engineering and Technology, said engineering societies such as the IET fear the government is missing an opportunity to push new eco-friendly technologies through these eco-towns.

‘If you want to do an eco-town, do one that really pushes the technology,’ he said. ‘Don’t just do one that is a slightly glorified and slightly better version of a normal housing development.’

The IET, along with ICE, the IMechE and the Royal Academy of Engineers, offered a list of innovations for the government to consider.