The St Austell and Clay Country Eco-town is a plan to build a new town on a cluster of sites owned by mining company Imerys near St Austell, in Cornwall, England. The plan was given outline government approval in July 2009. The plan would need to gain full planning permission before construction commenced.
A number of organisations are involved in the development. A joint venture company called ECO-BOS has been set up by Imerys, and Orascom, with assistance from the Eden Project. This company will prepare the planning application and build the development if granted. Cornwall Council will lead on some part of the project.
The plan was provisionally termed Imerys China Clay Community, in 2008 it was shortlisted by the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government as one of the 10 eco-towns proposed for construction in the UK.
Under the company's plans, 5,000 eco-homes would be built on former china clay quarries and other sites owned by Imerys over a 20-year period. [1] The sites are: [2]
A pilot project consisting of 48 homes, community and employment buildings is planned for the Baal & West Carclaze site. The homes will be built with high level of energy efficiency including some with a zero-carbon rating.
The plan includes several renewable energy sources such as geo-thermal, solar, biomass generation, wind farms, water source heating/cooling and rainwater harvesting.
Matthew Taylor, former local MP, was appointed as an independent chair of a board set up to develop the project. [3]
In December 2012, the developers of the St Austell eco-town announced that plans had been put on hold indefinitely, blaming the depressed economic situation for their decision.
In September 2013, it was announced that Cornwall Council had accepted a grant of more than £1.5 million from Central Government to push for the revival of the project in the West Carclaze area along the A391 from the Carclaze to the edges of Stenalees and Penwithick. The revised plans, include 1,500 homes, a primary school, a technology park, solar farms and recreational facilities. A community consultation was held in May and June 2014, this resulted in several changes to the master plan. [4] [5] A planning application which is due to be submitted in December 2014.
The project was included in a list of fourteen garden villages announced by the Government in January 2017. [6]
The plan has received some local opposition. The "No Ecotown" group has fears that few of the homes will be affordable as well as increased traffic congestion, lack of employment opportunities, swamping of local villages and damage to wildlife habitats. [3] [7]
The project received a £9 million share of a £60 million government handout for its initiation. [8]
Major improvements to the A391 were completed in June 2016, these include a new 1.6km section and two new bridges. Funding was received from the European Regional Development Fund. [11] [12] [13]
St Austell is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 10 miles (16 km) south of Bodmin and 30 miles (48 km) west of the border with Devon.
Par is a village and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par, although West Par and the docks lie in the parish of St Blaise.
Trewoon is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the western outskirts of St Austell, on the A3058 road and is a linear settlement, with housing estates, a village hall, park and playing fields. The village has many amenities and local businesses: a garage, a post office, a Convenience store, hairdressers, "The White Pyramid" pub, and Trinity Methodist church.
St Dennis is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the B3279 between Newquay and St Austell.
St Stephen-in-Brannel is a civil parish and village in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Stephen village is four miles (6.5 km) west of St Austell on the southern edge of Cornwall's china clay district. The parish also contains the villages of Foxhole, Nanpean, Treviscoe and Whitemoor, and the hamlets of Carpalla, Coombe, Currian Vale, High Street, Hornick, Lanjeth, Stepaside and Terras. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 7,119. An electoral ward also exists simply bearing the name St. Stephen. The population at the same census was 4,772 only.
Treverbyn is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The Gover Stream is an approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long stream located in mid south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
IMERYS S.A. is a French multinational company which specialises in the production and processing of industrial minerals. The main headquarter is located in Paris and is a constituent of the CAC Mid 60 index.
St Dennis Junction was in St Dennis, Cornwall.
The Cornwall College Group is a further education college situated on eight sites throughout Cornwall and Devon, England, United Kingdom, with its headquarters in St Austell.
Eco-towns are a government-sponsored programme of new towns to be built in England, which are intended to achieve exemplary standards of sustainability.
Bugle is a village in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the parish of Treverbyn and is situated about five miles (8 km) north of St Austell on the A391 road. The 2011 Census for the ward of Bugle which includes Treverbyn and surrounding hamlets gave a population of 4,164.
St Austell Clay Pits, are a group of locations within active china clay quarries that form a single Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation, noted for its biological characteristics. In particular, the site is known for the rare western rustwort, a plant that grows only at two other sites in the UK.
Low-impact development (LID) has been defined as "development which through its low negative environmental impact either enhances or does not significantly diminish environmental quality".
Par Docks is an Imerys-owned harbour in the village of Par, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, which was used for the export of china clay from the numerous Imerys sites in the clay-rich region of Mid-Cornwall.
Penwithick and Boscoppa is an electoral division of Cornwall in the United Kingdom and returns one member to sit on Cornwall Council. The current Councillor is Matthew Luke, a member of Mebyon Kernow, a Cornish nationalist party.
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