- Martin Wingfield

Eco-towns are an eco-disaster

By Martin Wingfield June 19, 2008

“ECO-TOWNS: what an oxymoron is that! How can a new town be ecologically friendly when it is built on a green field site which entails concreting over large areas of the countryside and destroying natural habitat?” asks Sally Wood in her Straight Talking column in the June issue of Freedom, the British National Party's monthly newspaper.

Sally continues:

You only have to think of all the additional traffic and congestion it will generate, free to spew pollutants into the air.

Take the small village of Micheldever in the North Hampshire Downs. Here in this delightful rural landscape of rolling hills and wooded copse: home to owls, bats and a rare pair of stone curlews, Eagle Star Insurance have plans to concrete over it and construct one of these new eco-towns.

Another eco-town is proposed near Couldwell and Roslington in South Derbyshire. Bank Development are planning a 5,700 unit settlement which will entail the felling of national forest trees and a new road to feed its new eco-town of テ「ぎヒ廨rovewoodテ「ぎ┐. How eco-friendly is that!

It appears that 40% of these homes are to be affordable housing, but for whom?

The English are simply not replacing themselves, but they are now fleeing our ever increasingly crime-ridden cities to be replaced there by economic migrants. Surely if these economic migrants were told to stay in their own countries their carbon footprint would be lower, and that has to be good for the planet.

From every angle these eco-towns can only be an eco-disaster.

ALLOTMENT WANTED!

ONE of my earliest memories is of peering through railings atテあan elderly neighbour tending his plot in the allotments at the end of my road in South London.

I still think of that today whenテあI flash passed in the train and spot the same site.テあThe allotments have long since disappeared only to be replaced by an ugly block of flats with a garish mural which adorns the entire flank wall. It seems like something from another country.

Where I live now there was much consternation when the Liberal Democrats, who ran theテあCouncil at that time andテあwho are always keen to proclaim their green credentials, decided to allow aテあHousingテあ Association development on the nearby allotments.テあSince thenテあmany of the council houses in our areaテあhave become occupiedテあby Eastern Europeans and others from overseas. When I recently tried to put my name down for an allotment on the sole remaining site I was told there wasテあa waiting list of at leastテあforty people before me and I could be given no indication as to when I was likely to reach the top of the list. Prepare to put your name downテあwhen youngテあif you wish to get one in this lifetime!

With the United States now convertingテあa fifthテあof its corn to ethanol toテあprovide approximately 3-4% ofテあthe fuel needed to run itsテあcars and trucks,テあthe price of food worldwide has rocketed.テあテあCoupled with that, the droughts in Australia and China have resulted in a shortage ofテあriceテあwhich has caused some countries toテあcease exportingテあrice completely for fear of food riots.

Britain was last self sufficient inテあgrain, meat and dairyテあinテあthe 1830テ「ぎ┐sテあand today self-sufficiency stands at only 60%, which makes us particularly vulnerable to a decline in food imports. During the last war when this was of concern,テあten percentテあof our food was produced from gardens and allotments. It is hard to imagineテあsuch aテあfigure could be reached today especially as many gardens in urban areas are now housing developments having beenテあdesignated as テ「ぎヒ彙rownfield sitesテ「ぎ┐.

As for that allotment . . . look around for one and youテあcouldテあwell look in vain, for whereテあit used to be you may find instead an ugly block of flats housing people from other lands and giving us the responsibility of all those additional mouths to feed.

Read Sally Wood's Straight-Talking every month. Take out a subscription to Freedom here

Freedom is edited by Martin Wingfield. His blog can be found here. テあ

Discussion

23 comments for “Eco-towns are an eco-disaster”

  1. It is becoming more and more evident that the housing still proposed for these ‘Eco Towns' is to house migrant workers. British people cannot afford to buy new houses anymore, as the global financial slowdown and the reduction in our reliance on cheap credit has prevented people from wanting to move house. Indeed, house sales have fallen nationally.

    So it is still curious to see exactly why these new ‘Eco towns' are being proposed. In the case of Pennbury near Leicester, it seems they are being built completely unconnected to major transport infrastructure and directly on greenfield land. What is ‘Eco' about that? Without central access to transport infrastructure, residents will STILL use their cars.

    Yes - and by calling them ‘eco-towns', they are trying to make us feel guilty of being anti-green when we object to them, when in fact it is they who are anti-green. - Ed

    Posted by Dendiol | June 19, 2008, 9:43 am
  2. This whole thing is typical of the double standards of this so-called Labour government. On one hand, we British have images of disasters pushed into our media and papers, and are led to think we are to blame. Then, we see the propaganda kick in, about how much we need immigrant labour. I fear it will end in punitive tax systems, whereby those that are deemed ”eco-friendly”, will be OK, and others, mostly indigenous Brits, will be taxed to death. How can they keep all this lies and fraudulent governance up?

    Posted by BC1959 | June 19, 2008, 10:00 am
  3. I have a suspicion that they will be used to “parachute” thousands of migrants into rural areas.

    Role on the recession. That will put a stop to much of this.

    Government funding will be stretched, the passion for immigration will fade away as the true costs are seen and the pound in OUR pockets will be king.

    Spend them wisely. Spend at British shops with British staff, stop having takeaways, eat food grown in the UK and so on.

    We complain about the market being king but we can, with a little effort, drive out those who we do not wish to be here by using market forces.

    When was the last time a migrant put some money in your pocket?

    Posted by Tancred | June 19, 2008, 10:12 am
  4. Liblabcon voters -

    Tear down the trees, the hedgerows, the fields. Kill all the birds and bulldoze the wildlife into the earth.

    All to make way for “eco” towns.

    Fine people for dropping an apple core, because “global warming” war, famine and genocide is all their fault. Its all whiteys fault.

    So they build another massive airport, with giant aircraft spewing toxins into the atmospshpere. Is that green?

    Ship plastic waste to India and China to be burnt straight into the atmosphere. Keeps down our “carbon footprint” you see. Is that green?

    Now you know who the so-called “green” party (who are in favour of these colonisation towns) really are!

    Now you know what EUkip really is.

    Now you know what (muslim role-models) Cameron really is.

    Are you ready to vote BNP yet?

    Posted by Dylan | June 19, 2008, 10:17 am
  5. My friend in the old industrialised town of Keighley has a house overlooking allotments, Sorry I mean, had. She now has a view of new detached featureless boxes crammed on every available inch. The kind of place where living with your neighbour brings a whole new meaning to the word togetherness. In the current climate of falling house prices some of the occupiers are already in negative equity, especially those who borrowed more than 100% of the value of the house, thinking the prices would continue to escalate. Above and beyond all this the whole neighbourhood is in negative equity through the loss of the only green area for miles around, and also the loss of independance of those who used to grow their own food. The despicable double whammy as described in the article. On my doorstep today, and on yours tomorrow.

    Posted by White Rose | June 19, 2008, 10:38 am
  6. These are either the new gulags or the new ghettos of England (or six of one and half-a-dozen of the other), slipped past the public on the last day of term, a “good day to hide bad news”. Some of the proposed 15 sites have already been rejected so they're doing a Lisbon and recycling them here. You will note that none are proposed for Scotland, Wales or N. Ireland so it's England for the high jump yet again. More good news is that they may be able to bypass usual planning routes - how reassuringly familiar. Of course, the zooful of elephants is being ignored yet again - artificially encouraged immigration leading to factitious housing demand.

    These little wens will contain about 6,000 houses, unable to sustain a full infrastructure of services and designed for half the residents to be carless, an unsustainable goal without transport. Bring on the new town blues in these isolated Tescoslums of the future. Boomtowns of a post-boom depression - how well thought out. One feature will be larger houses for larger families - for whom, when the British birthrate is falling? Obviously intended for hippy communes … or polygamous families with large numbers of kids?

    Building new homes is up to 5 times more carbon-intensive than rehabilitating old ones in organically developed cities with existing support systems where a very high rate of people manage without cars anyway and which have the advantage of settled, bonded neighbourhoods (still some, I hope).

    Luckily, there is strong local opposition which is orchestrating a sometimes successful Big Noise campaign - could the BNP learn from this and start with the whistles, kettledrums and saucepan lids a la Gwynedd caserolazos who protested the closure of primary schools in 2007 with a noisy demonstration? Frustrated St George flag-wavers please note.

    Posted by SheriffofNottingham | June 19, 2008, 11:01 am
  7. Eco-towns are just a politician's term for new towns MkII.

    Like the last wave of new towns, they are sure to fare badly when it comes to environmental credibility. The only thing green about them will be the greenfield site they are built on.

    Posted by Dissident Congress | June 19, 2008, 11:04 am
  8. Q1) Where is my nearest allotment and who do I contact?

    Forget the car, walk around your neighbourhood and look for green open spaces - you may be surprised to find the allotment is quite close by. Contact your local authority テ「ぎ" this will be your Parish, Town, Borough, City or District Council.

    Did you know?

    All councils in England & Wales (with the exception of Inner London) have to, by law, provide allotments? Any group of adults over the age of 18 and registered on the electoral role can group together to request the council provide.

    If your nearest site is not owned by the local authority, try:

    テ「ぎ「 The contact details at the entrance to the allotment site or テ「ぎ「 speak to a plot holder or テ「ぎ「 visit your local library for details of local allotment associations or テ「ぎ「 contact us - NSALG on 01536 266576 or natsoc@nsalg.org.uk .

    Q2) There are no allotments in my area, what can I do?

    Each allotment authority decides for itself how much of its resources to devote to allotments. However, if an authority believes there is a demand, it has a statutory duty to provide a sufficient quantity of plots and to let them to people living in its area. If local people feel there is a need for allotments which is not being met, they can get together a group of any six residents who are registered on the electoral roll and put their case to the local authority.

    Posted by Uncle Joe | June 19, 2008, 12:06 pm
  9. I would remind those who support the EUSSR and its planned economy. We are seeing food shortages around the world.Rice and wheat shortages and ever increasing prices. Farmers growing crops for eco fuel and not food, because the EU says fuels must now have 10% eco fuel added Over population through immigration. Building over our green farm lands. I will remind you again: Over 5.000.000 starved to death in Stalins planned economy. It's only market forces that bring prosperity. When the market sees what is required and makes it happen. Not some dimm wit in an office in Brussels.

    Posted by Brysea | June 19, 2008, 12:26 pm
  10. Put up a fence a few feet from my back door and the rest of the garden, sorry prime brown field residential development site, is worth as much as the remaining bit and the house but I am not selling so the slums of tomorrow can be built.

    http://tinyurl.com/4452aj

    Posted by hughie_s | June 19, 2008, 12:29 pm
  11. I live 4 miles from the proposed ford site. If it goes ahead I'm moving.

    Posted by Enoch | June 19, 2008, 12:34 pm
  12. Would the BNP encourage more people to take up allotments, and provide the land to do so?

    -

    Yes. - Ed

    Posted by WelshPatriot | June 19, 2008, 1:18 pm
  13. I have a better idea. What about an eco-town sited dozens of feet under ground, as they do in many parts of north Africa today, esp. in Tunisia? For some it would be ‘home from home'.

    Posted by bernard | June 19, 2008, 2:05 pm
  14. As a few readers of Freedom might recall from some months ago, I have in the past contacted certain environmental organisations to ask why they're strangely silent on the issue of population, something which is obviously, if indirectly, one of the factors helping to drive forward the construction of new towns (and ‘eco-towns' as well). Unfortunately, the vast majority of so-called ‘environmentalists' are absolutely terrified of making negative comments on immigration or any associated issues. So what do we end up with? More towns in what used to be known as our countryside, specially constructed for the British natives who need to escape our big cities. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's intellectual cowardice, and pressure groups like the Council for the Protection of Rural England, to name just one of many, are regrettably guilty of it.

    Posted by David Topple | June 19, 2008, 5:26 pm
  15. Our local paper is questioning the need for all these extra affordable homes to be built, especially as prices are falling so much. I was talking to a lady today who employs Romanian male au pairs. It is a loophole in the new immigration rules, apparently. Once they have been here 12 months, they can have a national insurance number and work here legally.

    Posted by blue-eyes | June 19, 2008, 5:41 pm
  16. Eco towns are a load of nonsense. Isn't this island crowded enough as it is?… No more house's are needed, same goes for immigrants!

    Posted by EnglandxChick | June 19, 2008, 10:33 pm
  17. Britain needs to reduce its CO2 Emmissions etc. the more People we have reducing their Carbon footprints etc the better.

    Hence the need for mass mass Immigration, the More People, the More of a reduction we can make.

    I Know that most of you think this does not make sense but you will find that If you drink a full bottle of whisky then jump out of the Window landing on your head you will find that it makes perfect sense.

    Posted by royalecraig | June 19, 2008, 11:19 pm
  18. I do perceive that the Liblabcon Artists are developing what they think is an idea to fool the electors. If you want to do something the indigenous Britons do not want, give it an environmentally-friendly new name. They will obviously lap up this new terminology and be very happy. Ooops! Those nasty voters are now thinking more and realise “Propaganda is Propaganda” and can check things on the INTERNET! What is more, the voters are going on to look at the (we should not even mention) BNP website. Oh how they wish they could close us down!

    Please do not LAUGH! Just vote BNP and laugh even more!!!!

    Posted by ianpenrhyndd | June 20, 2008, 6:36 am
  19. This is what they brought others here to destroy - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KC60ALMe77w Will you let them? Will you let it perish?

    Posted by baccy_tin | June 20, 2008, 9:55 am
  20. When, under a BNP government, the jihadist colonisers have all gone home to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia etc., then on the basis of a conservatively estimated jihadi population in Bradford of 120,000 and an equally conservatively estimated eight of them to a household, that would leave 15,000 empty houses in Bradford.

    With a suggested like figure for Leicester and for Brimingham added, that would make a total of 45,000 affordable homes available for indigenous Britons just in three cities and without concreting over a single square inch (b*****ks to Napoleon Bonaparte's centimetres) of Britain's green fields.

    The repatriation of all of the non-contributary alien invaders would make available a far greater number of homes for Brits, who could easily afford them (once they'd been cleaned up and replastered to remove the odour of curry) because in the absence of alien freeloaders and the EUSSR catheter sucking the lifeblood out of the nation's financial arteries, the tax burden could be eased commensurately with house prices being much reduced by an abundant supply.

    All that is needed to enable us to set about achieving this is the constitutionally lawful arrest of the Westminster traitors for treason under the provisions of the Bill of Rights 1689.

    Posted by Noel | June 20, 2008, 11:46 pm
  21. Tancred : “When was the last time a migrant put some money in your pocket?”

    I don't. Where I can I do exactly as you say. The only problem is who actually owns the company? Perhaps we ought to construct an ethical consumer's list. I'll start : Tomos Watkins real ales & cider, brewed in Swansea and owned by indigenous Brits.

    Posted by Mandala | June 21, 2008, 4:14 pm
  22. Barratts shares have dropped by 91% I read in the Grauniad today - the other big builders are not doing so well either. Who's going to be able to build these new towns? Hopefully, no one. Every cloud has a silver lining.

    The catheter effect mentioned by Noel reminds me of how King John once gave away England to the pope (in 1213) as a papal fief and the money just drained away. He brought in a whole load of foreign mercenaries to impose the pope's will as well. In the year 1250 the tax paid to the pope in Rome was 5 times what the king got from his whole realm. The pope's stranglehold led to civil war and the setting-up of the first Parliament under Simon de Montfort. Reminds me of what's going on now and the money we're being forced to spend on implementing the will of the EU anti-nationalist legates under the Treaty of Rome.

    This current attack by the EU is not new, but simply the culmination of centuries of anti-British sentiment amongst Continental leaders and a desire to get their own back or do away with the Anglo-Saxon free nonconformists once and for all. We always did best when we left the Continent to its own devices. Every time we get involved, it's a disaster for us in one way or another. Let's trade and enjoy each other's achievements and cultures, but we don't have to joined at the hip politically. History teaches us a solid lesson and that's the reason so little of it is now taught.

    Posted by SheriffofNottingham | June 21, 2008, 4:23 pm
  23. Let's call these proposed ECO towns by their correct name - IMMI towns - as the only reason we need to build on green belt land in this way is because we are being swamped by immigrants.

    Posted by Karl Baxter | June 22, 2008, 7:47 am