Liz Leffman: Let's make West of Waterlooville a beacon for energy efficiency

11.36.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 26th Jun 2007

Liz Leffman, Prospective Lib Dem MP for the new Meon Valley constituency, today urged Winchester City and Havant Borough councillors to be bold, and to plan for a community at West of Waterlooville that could sustain itself by providing for its own energy needs.

At a joint planning committee meeting to review outline plans for the new development of 1,550 houses, Liz Leffman asked councillors to ensure that new homes and businesses on the site are not just energy efficient in terms of consumption, but also have the capacity to generate their own energy.

"There is no reason why buildings in West of Waterlooville should not be capable of generating energy through properly designed use of, for example, solar panels." said Liz. "If we are going to combat climate change, we need to ensure that the energy we consume is generated from renewable sources. In West of Waterlooville we have a fantastic opportunity to show how it can be done, by making sure that every building on the site makes use of solar power and other renewables. West of Waterlooville could be a model for the future."

The new development will be part of the Meon Valley constituency, and Liz promises to keep watchful eye on the plans as they develop

"Nothing would make me prouder than for West of Waterlooville to be an energy self-sufficient community, and together with Lib Dem councillors on the two planning committees, I will be campaigning to make sure that we find the greenest solutions to the development's energy needs." Liz said.

Notes to editors. The West of Waterlooville MDA is situated in the new Meon Valley constituency, between Denmead and Waterlooville. The current proposal is for a mixed use development of 2,000 houses, plus businesses and a primary school. A further 1,000 houses may also be built in the area