I agree with a lot of David Lock鈥檚 article on eco-towns (25 June, page 54).

I don鈥檛 think that anyone would disagree with the fact that we need to build more houses in properly supported communities close to employment opportunities, and to higher environmental standards. Overwhelmingly, this will take place on brownfield sites within existing towns, or carefully planned urban extensions. Freestanding new settlements are a third possibility if the first two options do not provide enough land (as in the case of Cambridge, where Northstowe New Town forms a key part of our growth strategy).

But what David overlooks is that new settlements are the most difficult of the options to deliver quickly. By definition they are located where there is no local infrastructure, and at the very least must be integrated into a public transport network. The last thing we want is to build zero-carbon homes where people have to jump into their cars to do the shopping. New settlements can only come forward as part of a carefully considered (and well-resourced) sub-regional strategy. There are no shortcuts.

Peter Studdert, director of joint planning, Cambridge Growth Areas and Northstowe New Town

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