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
Imerys S.A. is a French multinational company which specialises in the production and processing of industrial minerals. It is headquartered in Paris and is a constituent of the CAC Mid 60 index.
Imerys has operations in over 40 countries and ...
near
St Austell
St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon.
St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958.
History
St Austell wa ...
, in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, UK. 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
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to access ...
called ECO-BOS has been set up by Imerys, and
Orascom
Orascom Construction PLC (OC) is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor based in Cairo, Egypt. The company was Egypt's first multinational corporation and stands at the core of the Orascom Group companies. OC is active in mo ...
, with assistance from the
Eden Project
The Eden Project ( kw, Edenva) is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS E ...
. This company will prepare the planning application and build the development if granted.
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council ( kw, Konsel Kernow) is the unitary authority for Cornwall in the United Kingdom, not including the Isles of Scilly, which has its own unitary council. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition o ...
will lead on some part of the project.
Background
The plan was provisionally termed Imerys China Clay Community, in 2008 it was shortlisted by the UK's
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, 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.
The sites are:
*''Baal & West Carclaze'' near the villages of Penwithick and
Stenalees
Treverbyn is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The church of St Peter is modern as the medieval chapel was closed at the time of the Reformation. The parish was formed from part of St Austell parish in 1847. ...
. The plan includes 1,800-2,500 homes, a 31-acre lake and eight hectares of employment land.
*''
Par Docks
Par Docks is an Imerys-owned harbour in the village of Par, Cornwall, United Kingdom, which was used for the export of china clay from the numerous Imerys sites in the clay-rich region of Mid-Cornwall.
History
Joseph Treffry (born Joseph ...
'', near to Par: a new marina with facilities for local fishing boats, 500-700 homes, and a biomass energy centre.
*''Blackpool'', close to the villages of
Trewoon
Trewoon (; kw, 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 ...
,
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
and Lanjeth: 2,100 and 2,500 homes, a new railway station, new schools, a lake and eco-parkland.
*''Goonbarrow'' on the edge of the village of
Bugle
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure.
History
The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...
: 450-550 homes.
*''Drinnick & Nanpean'' on the edge of the village of
Nanpean
Nanpean (from kw, Nanspian, meaning "little valley") is a village in the civil parish of St Stephen-in-Brannel in Cornwall, United Kingdom.Energy efficiency in British housing, energy efficiency including some with a zero-carbon rating.
The plan includes several
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most 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.
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
Treverbyn is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The church of St Peter is modern as the medieval chapel was closed at the time of the Reformation. The parish was formed from part of St Austell parish in 1847. ...
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. 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.
Reception
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.
Project progress
The project received a £9 million share of a £60 million government handout for its initiation.
*Prince Charles House, designed by PRP Architects, an affordable housing eco-development of 31 flats for older people in St Austell was completed in April 2012
*78 properties in Penwithick received energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.
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
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...