Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Britain’s Parliament Monday to protest the government’s plan to build 15 eco-towns. The government is proposing communities characterized by sustainable construction, public transportation, green space, and walkability. It hopes to have five eco-towns built by 2016, and five more by 2020. Monday marks the last day of the government’s first phase of consultation with local folks, who have largely shown little enthusiasm for the plan. Critics say new towns will burden existing infrastructure, be built on land that should remain undeveloped, and don’t take into account the desires of local communities. The plan is “a thoroughly bad idea,” says one protester, “unrealistic, unsustainable, and definitely not wanted.” Says Marina Pacheco of the Campaign to Protect Rural England: “We are urging the government to go back to the drawing board.”
