5:20pm Friday 14th August 2009
IF Barton Farm is developed, it should be a carbon neutral community, a green group has said.
Members of Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) made the call at their August meeting.
It was passed unanimously, and will come into effect if a plan comes forward to develop the greenfield site north of the city.
One developer, Cala Homes, is already thought to be poised to submit an application, having been turned down once before.
If development at the site β which could provide up to 2,000 properties β becomes likely, then WinACC will call for a carbon-neutral option.
The group is expected to campaign for solar panels on all homes and less reliance on cars.
Robert Hutchison, who chairs WinACC, pointed to the new Vauban suburb in Freiburg, Germany, as a good example, where 70 per cent of residents have no cars.
He said: βIt would be a tragedy if the Barton Farm development was a missed opportunity. The people of Winchester should expect nothing less than the highest possible standards of design and sustainability.β
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