Owenstown - Co-operative town development in South Lanarkshire

[Darren Hill]

Also see - http://www.owenstown.org



http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-news/lanark-and-carluke-news/2009/08/27/by-george-topp-lanark-carluke-51525-24539217/


  Massive £1.5billion town could open at Rigside

Aug 27 2009 
<http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-news/lanark-and-carluke-news/2009/08/27/> 
by George Topp, Lanark & Carluke

A UTOPIAN new eco-friendly and self-sufficient town, owned by its 
inhabitants and costing £1.5 billion, could be created near Rigside.

A century after the social reformer Robert Owen pioneered a 
co-operative, communal way of living at New Lanark, a charity is 
adopting his model to build Scotland’s latest new town.

Owenstown, named after the 19th-century industrialist, will be located 
on a 2000-acre greenfield site, just a mile from the village of Rigside.

It is expected to have a population of 20,000 people and could create 
8000 jobs.

The £1.5 billion project is the brainchild of the Hometown Foundation, a 
charitable trust established to build new, self-sustainable communities.

It will be organised along many of the principles that Owen favoured 
when he managed and co-owned the mill at New Lanark, from 1800 to 1828.

Two of the men responsible for bringing New Lanark back from dereliction 
to World Heritage Site status, Jim Arnold and Arthur Bell, are amongst 
those involved in this ambitious project.

Jim Arnold, director of New Lanark since 1974, is chairman designate for 
Owenstown, while Arthur Bell, chairman of New Lanark Conservation Trust, 
is a trustee.

Robert Owen helped improve the living conditions of his workers by 
creating a co-operative store in the village, with profits invested in 
community facilities such as schools. However, Owen, who left New Lanark 
in 1828, never realised his ambition to see his ideals adopted elsewhere 
in Scotland.

At this week’s launch of the Owenstown project Jim Arnold said: “This 
will be a new and inspired modern version of Robert Owen’s dream. We’ve 
already been speaking to local and central government.”

The charity’s plans go on public display at New Lanark next week, 
opening a six-month period of consultation. It is hoped a planning 
application will be submitted next year, allowing construction to start 
in three years.

If approved, the new town will be self-sufficient, eco-friendly and run 
on co-operative principles and managed by its residents. Houses, 
produced in kit form by a factory located in the town, will be sold or 
rented, with the profits being ploughed back into the community. The 
factory will also be the first major employer in the community, which 
hopes that low overheads will help to attract new businesses. The town 
will have its own windfarm, producing low-cost energy, and a green 
heating system powered by recycled waste.

A farm on the outskirts will grow organic produce for local consumption 
and each household is to have its own garden or allotment plot to 
encourage the growing of fruit and vegetables.

A fleet of low-carbon electric vehicles will be the principal mode of 
transport for those whose journeys cannot be made on foot or bicycle, 
and routes for visitor traffic will be established to reduce any adverse 
impact.

Decisions will be made by a board of trustees elected by residents, 
local government would have a role in running the town. Dr Arnold said 
Owenstown would not bypass the system of elected councillors.

Stuart Crawford, a trustee of Hometown Foundation which has bought the 
land and set up the Owenstown co-operative, said: “This is an innovative 
and ground-breaking project. The general response has been one of 
enthusiasm.”

Karen Gillon, Clydesdale MSP, and Scottish Labour’s rural development 
spokesman, described Owenstown as ambitious and exciting, adding: “A new 
town would revitalise the area and would have beneficial knock-on 
effects for the local economy. I back this development and would be keen 
to work with Hometown Foundation to ensure it comes to fruition.”

Those behind the project explained that once planning permission is 
granted, a loan can be requested from banks or building societies to 
start construction. Businesses interested in being in the new town can 
also contribute money to its development.

Community involvement is an important part of the proposals and before a 
planning application is submitted the trustees have pledged to carry out 
a major consulation exercise.

The new town would be marginally smaller than Carluke, and twice as big 
as Lanark.