John Walker, former Commission for New Towns boss, to chair 12-man panel that also includes Wayne Hemmingway, Sunand Prasad and Sir Peter Hall

The former chief executive of the Commission for New Towns has been appointed by the government to chair an 12-man board to advise on the development of the 10 planned eco-towns.

John Walker, currently a government adviser on housing growth, will chair the “Eco-Town Challenge” panel which will include figures from the design, planning, transport, environment and architecture industries as well as two TV presenters.


Sunand Prasad, one of the 12-man eco-town advisory panel

Also on the panel is designer Wayne Hemmingway, Sunand Prasad, RIBA president and eminent planner Sir Peter Hall.

The panel will be used to advise the 15 short-listed developers working up bids to be selected as one of the 10 eco-towns ultimately chosen. The panel will also be asked to challenge the developers to meet as high a standard as possible in deisgn and sustainability.

The Eco-town Challenge panel will publish recommendations to each bidder on how it could improve its planned development.

The full panel is:

  • John Walker (chair) - former chief executive, British Urban Regeneration Association.
  • Dr Liz Goodwin - chief executive, Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP).
  • Stephen Hale - director, Green Alliance.
  • Sir Peter Hall - president, Town and Country Planning Association.
  • Wayne Hemingway - founder, Red or Dead.
  • Stephen Joseph - executive director, Campaign for Better Transport.
  • Nick Mabey - chief executive, E3G.
  • Kris Murrin - TV presenter, partner at innovation consultancy ?What If!
  • Sunand Prasad - Royal Institute of British Architects president-elect.
  • Liz Reason - director, Reasons to Be Cheerful consultancy.
  • Sue Riddlestone - director, BioRegional Development Group.
  • Joanna Yarrow - TV presenter, green-lifestyle specialist and founder of sustainability company Beyond Green

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