Written question asked by Lord Maples (Conservative) on Thursday, 13 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 November 2008. It was answered by Iain Wright (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 November 2008 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Eco-towns: Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the Government's proposed contribution to infrastructure costs in respect of each of the proposed eco-towns on which she is consulting.

Answer: We are still consulting on eco-towns and no decisions have yet been taken on the final list of schemes with the potential to go forward as eco-towns. The expectation has always been that the bulk of investment needed to create an eco-town will come from the private sector. PricewaterhouseCoopers are currently assessing scheme proposals and the potential for costs to be funded by development without recourse to public subsidy. However, there will also be projects that we may support through direct funding to local authorities using the Growth Areas Fund and from mainstream funding programmes.

Secondary information