Leicestershire Parish Councils

The Co-operative Group – an Eco-town for Leicestershire

Our vision – Lynda Shillaw, Managing Director, The Co-operative Estates

“The Co-operative is proud of its heritage. Proud of the fact that for over 160 years, it has been serving hundreds of communities throughout the UK, not just as a business but as an organisation with clear social and community goals.

“We are one of the country’s most trusted brands … and that reputation backs our promise to deliver a new kind of community in Leicestershire, a community which will define a new way of life in a country facing the challenges of climate change and meeting the housing needs of future generations.

“The Co-operative has direct involvement in so many parts of community life, from retailing to education, farming to personal finance. We have a unique set of skills, attributes and experience we can bring to this project, not least our exemplary track record in sustainable development including the generation of renewable energy.

“What’s more our commitment to the eco-town is long-term – not only will we remain closely involved in its development and ongoing stewardship but we will continue to farm the land alongside it, working with the community to develop new methods of sustainable farming to provide food for people who live there.

“The eco-town cannot be of maximum benefit to the existing communities unless we get constructive views from local people. We believe passionately in the principles behind eco-towns and our vision for an eco-town in this part of Leicestershire. Please take this opportunity to input your views.

Our proposals

Our land
We are proposing the Eco-town for Leicestershire to be developed on land owned by The Co-operative Group and our partner, English Partnerships in southeast Leicestershire. We own over 4000 acres (1700 hectares) of land in this location but at most only 40 per cent of the land will be needed for the town itself; Of the 40 per cent used, a significant amount of land will be used for open spaces and gardens; This will leave 60 per cent of the land for countryside uses including farming and recreation. Farming and food production will be central to the future of the land: we will continue to farm the land ourselves and provide opportunities for local people to grow their own food. Working closely with local interest and environmental groups, we will enhance biodiversity on land within and around the town and expand public access to the countryside.

Homes
Our proposals involve between 12,000 and 15,000 homes of different types and tenures. 30 percent of the homes will be affordable – delivering between 4000 and 5000 affordable homes. These homes will be built over a period of at least 15 years using advanced sustainable building techniques to deliver a zero carbon community, and catering for all community needs from start up homes, to 4/5 bed family homes, to assisted living.

Community
We will build the facilities required to ensure that the eco-town has everything it needs to become a fully functioning community. These facilities will include schools, health centres, shops and community buildings. The retail centres will be vibrant and mixed, catering for a range of shopping requirements and designed to encourage new and independent businesses. We aim to create a place where residents are empowered to shape their own town supported by a management body which delivers core service functions such as the management of transport and the upkeep of public open spaces: a place where residents have a sense of belonging with opportunities for real ownership of the town’s infrastructure, such as its community buildings.

Education and schools
School places will be provided in the eco-town for every child in the community and we will provide education for all ages and abilities from pre-school age to adult education. The creation of a new community provides a unique opportunity to plan a new and integrated system of education, which will be of maximum benefit to young and old alike, and we will be discussing these opportunities with local authorities. The Co-operative Group has an established track-record of developing innovative partnerships with the education sector, as an existing sponsor of an Academy, member of the UK's first co-operative trust school, sponsor of ten Specialist Co-operative Business & Enterprise Colleges and inspiration for a range of materials for use across the curriculum.

Transport and mobility
The Co-operative Group will bring major investment in transport to the south east of Leicester as part of the project and we will work with local authorities to deliver new transport innovations in the town and surrounding area with the key objectives of reducing reliance on the car. There are a number of transport solutions that can be provided including an advanced high frequency bus service, which will be closely scrutinised in order to provide the best solution not just for the community but for all those living in this part of Leicestershire. We are committed to ensuring that whatever transport solutions are proposed, they are “future proofed” to allow for additional initiatives (e.g. a tram) to be incorporated in the future.

Employment and economy
The eco-town will deliver significant employment and economic benefits not just for the immediate area, but for the wider communities. In particular, the eco-town will provide an environment in which businesses working to provide sustainable solutions in sectors such as energy, waste and construction can flourish. These will be jobs which will not only enhance the regeneration of the city itself but will bring new industries to the county which otherwise would go elsewhere. We will support local businesses and facilitate new business ventures in the town.

The environment
We will champion solutions for energy, waste and water and aim to devise environmentally sustainable technologies which can be adopted in mainstream developments elsewhere. Biodiversity will be enhanced both in and around the town through the protection and creation of habitats in which wildlife will thrive. We want to make it easy for people to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

The public exhibitions
One way to find out more about our proposals is at the eco-town website – www.ecotownforleicestershire.coop

We would also like to invite people to come to our planned series of public exhibitions, where more details on our ideas will be available and members of the development team will be available to discuss these.

The exhibitions will be taking place from 11.00am to 8.00pm, as follows
• Tuesday 10 June, The Three Swans, High Street, Market Harborough
• Wednesday 11 June, Parklands Leisure Centre, Wigston Road, Oadby
• Friday 13 June and Saturday 14 June, Exhibition Marquee (being set up on site), off Gartree Road
• Monday 16 June, Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Ayleston Road, Leicester