Parking costs in new eco-towns to reach £13,000

Motorists face charges of up to £13,000 a year to park in one of the new eco-towns confirmed today, the Daily Express reports.

To discourage car use, householders would also have to park on the outskirts of the towns and walk to their parked vehicles.

The Conservatives cited guidance for the eco-towns commissioned at a cost of £424,000 by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

They claimed the towns would be used as a ‘test bed’ for new green taxes before charges are rolled out across the country.

Whitehill-Bordon in East Hampshire, China Clay Community in St Austell, Cornwall, North Bicester in Oxfordshire and Rackheath in Norwich are the confirmed as the country’s first eco-towns.

The new eco-towns will include the tough new standards for sustainability, with smart meters to track energy use, community heat sources and charging points for electric cars, the Department of Communities and Local Government promises.

The towns will also make use of the latest green energy technology by utilising solar, wind and earth sources of power and heat. Residents will be able to control the heat and ventilation of their homes at the touch of a button; and sell their surplus energy into the grid. All homes are also expected to be located within ten minutes walk of frequent public transport and everyday neighbourhood services while parks, playgrounds and gardens that will make up 40 per cent – two fifths – of the towns. Children will attend local zero carbon schools, making use of the paths and cycle ways while zero carbon buildings including shops, restaurants and public buildings will surround the eco-friendly houses.

Car journeys will make up less than half of all journeys from the eco-towns. All the homes will reach at least level four of the Code for Sustainable Homes – including standards for energy efficiency, recycling, water efficiency and reduced pollution – saving a typical home £200-£500 a year in energy bills.

However the eco-credentials of the new towns have not silenced all critics. Tory housing spokesman Grant Shapps told the Daily Express: "Gordon Brown's discredited eco-towns are being used as a test bed for a series of new taxes and charges on local residents, from bin taxes to massive parking fees."

Details…