Beijing considers new eco district

The Chinese government is in talks with a British firm about building an eco community in Bejing.

Bioregional Development Group, which has advised on several green developments including BedZed, met with officials last week.

The mixed use development could have at least 2000 homes.

Bioregional hopes the development will be another of its “One Planet Living” schemes. They have to meet criteria including: using on-site renewable energy as far as possible; eliminating waste to landfill; supporting local food production; using materials from local, renewable or recycled sources; using water saving and recycling measures; protecting and regenerating natural environments; choosing structures that build on local cultural heritage; promoting fair trade through the development and promote healthy lifestyles through design and community engagement.

Bioregional has similar finished schemes in the USA and One Brighton in the UK. It also has schemes going through planning in Portugal and the Masdar scheme in the United Arab Emirates and other potential projects in the USA. In China, a project in Panyu district of Guang Zhou has gone on site and another in Shanghai is at the masterplanning stage.

DIY retailer B&Q has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 90% by 2023 as part of a drive to follow the “One Planet Living” principles as a business. Sutton council, the area of London where BedZed is located, has also pledged to become a “One Planet Living” borough by generating its energy from renewable sources, largely within the borough, by 2025.

Sue Riddlestone, executive director of Bioregional, said: “We want to work with partners around the world to show One Planet Living - living within ecological limits – is attractive. The Chinese government are interested in this so we are meeting the man who wrote China’s renewable energy strategy. They would like a project in Beijing so we are talking about that.”

Bioregional is holding a conference on 3 December in London to promote the ideas behind the schemes which will include case studies about the existing projects.