NEWS ARTICLE: PRP looks to Europe for eco-town inspiration

(Rory Olcayto, Building Design, 11 April 2008, www.bdonline.co.uk )

Housing practice PRP has revealed a major bid to win eco-town work following the government's announcement that 15 sites have been shortlisted.

Hot on the heels of rival firm HTA's announcement that it is working in a consortium to design, build and operate eco-towns with partners including Grosvenor Estates, Conran & Partners, Arup and Terry Farrell, PRP said it was taking a different approach by researching low-energy developments across Europe, including Sweden’s controversial Hammarby Sjöstad.

Last Thursday, housing minister Caroline Flint said a longlist of more than 50 proposed locations for eco-towns had been whittled down to 15, which will be reduced again to no more than 10, each of which will provide up to 15,400 zero-carbon homes, with an affordable element of at least 30%.

PRP associate director Chris Wilford — who previously worked at Bill Dunster’s ZedFactory — said the firm was working in a research group with Design for Homes and Urbed, and would present its findings to leading industry figures in June.

“We’re not restricting ourselves to any one developer,” he said. “Instead, we’re conducting a detailed study, called Eco-towns: Learning from Europe, that looks at a variety of sustainable developments on the continent.

“We’re going to present our findings… to a wide stakeholder group to generate interest in bidding for eco-towns, and in workshops to work out what exactly is exportable from the continent to England.”

Towns visited by the trio — which has also consulted BRE and local authorities — include Kronsberg, a 3,000-home settlement in Hanover; HafenCity in Hamburg and Amersford in Holland.

For more information please contact: Emilie Lemons, Conran & Partners: cp@conranandpartners.com

April 2008