The full list of proposed locations is as follows:
- Bordon, Hampshire
- Coltishall, Norfolk
- Curborough, Staffordshire
- Elsenham, Essex
- Ford, West Sussex
- Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire
- Imerys, Cornwall
- Leeds city region, West Yorkshire
- Manby, Lincolnshire
- Marston Vale and New Marston, Bedfordshire
- Middle Quinton, Warwickshire
- Pennbury, Leicestershire
- Rossington, South Yorkshire
- Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire
- Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire
As many as 42 other proposals were rejected by the government during the planning process – many for their inclusion of greenbelt land in UK.
Under the proposals as they stand no new properties will be build on greenbelt land. Instead extensive use will be made of developed brownfield land - including former Ministry of Defence land, military depots, disused airfields and former mining pits and industrial sites.
The plan could see up to 200,000 homes being built within the next 12 years, in zero-carbon developments with a minimum target of 5,000-10,000 homes each.
Flint said that no new homes would be built on Green Belt land, as proposals make significant use of brownfield land, and confirmed that more than 30 percent of the overall new houses will be affordable housing. 'Building in existing towns and cities alone simply cannot provide enough new homes,' the minister added.
The government said it will now consult widely for three months to get preliminary views on the benefits of eco-towns and these shortlisted locations, in the
second of the four key stages. A final shortlist of locations will be published later this year, after which each potential eco-town will need to submit a planning application.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) also expressed disappointment.
"Our main worry is the proposed location of many of these schemes," said CPRE senior planner, Kate Gordon.
"We fully support the government’s aspirations for achieving the highest standards in terms of sustainability and affordability. But achieving high environmental standards on site is not enough if the development is in the wrong place to begin with."
