Policies to improve the environmental standards of Britain’s building stock are little more than “empty rhetoric”, a committee of MPs will warn this week. Instead, the government has “ignored the real issues in favour of easy headlines”, according to the report by the All Party Urban Development Group.

Caroline Flint, housing minister, says the country faces "significant housing shortages". The opposition does not disagree. "We know that the best way to improve affordability is to build more homes throughout the country," says Grant Shapps, Conservative MP and shadow housing minister.

Such comments seem bizarre when set against the reality of new housing estates and city centre apartment blocks where units remain empty and housebuilders are taking desperate steps to sell them.

A number of official bodies have made formal representations to the government on the proposals for Hanley Grange.

Local Authorities response

Six local authorities combined to produce a joint response rejecting the Hanley Grange eco-town. The authorities were:

• Cambridgeshire County Council
• Cambridge City Council
• East Cambridgeshire District Council
• Fenland Cambridgeshire
  
• Huntingdonshire District Council
• South Cambridgeshire District Council
• Cambridgeshire Horizons - a non-profit making company set up by the Cambridgeshire Local Authorities to develop of new communities and infrastructure.

A summary of their response is here.

The full report is here (pdf).

EERA (East of England Regional Assembly)

Cllr Derrick Ashley, Chairman of the Assembly's Planning Panel said: "Government should halt this dash for eco-towns before more money and effort is wasted. The public want high environmental standards for all new housing not speculative development in unsuitable locations.

A summary of their response is here which also has a link to their full response.

Duxford Imperial War Museum

The War Museum has published its response to the Hanley Grange proposal, arguing that it is not in the long-term interest of the War Museum.

Their response is here.