Prescott appoints first chair of sustainable academy

Professor Peter Roberts has been appointed as chair of the UK’s new Academy for Sustainable Communities.

Roberts is chair of regional planning at the department of civil design, University of Liverpool and he is involved in a number of activities concerned with regional and urban planning, environmental management and regeneration.

Deputy prime minister John Prescott said: “Peter Roberts brings a huge amount of experience and knowledge to the Academy and I wish him every success in his new role.

The Leeds-based Academy aims to teach workers the skills necessary for building sustainable communities and was a recommendation of the Egan Review of Skills. Prescott said that the academy would be an international centre of excellence.

• John Prescott has announced that he will host an informal EU ministers meeting to discuss a common approach to sustainable communities. The meeting will take place in Bristol on 6th and 7th December 2005.