10-acre eco-village bound for Kensington

Plans to create London's biggest eco-village have been unveiled.

The 10.4-acre site in Kensington will host a school, clinic, shops, restaurants and several hundred flats, half of which will be affordable housing.

The development in Warwick Road will include a series of environmental initiatives, from green roofs designed to attract wildlife to charging points for electric vehicles.

There will be rainwater collectors to save water consumption and parking for bicycles.

It is also hoped the development will generate 20 per cent of its own power through solar panels and wind turbines.

The scheme has been put forward by Kensington and Chelsea council. A six-week public consultation has just ended and councillors will now decide whether to proceed.

Under the plans, four large buildings will be be replaced: Charles House at the corner of Kensington High Street; a vacant site formerly used by the Territorial Army; the Empress Telephone Exchange and Homebase along with its car park.

Daniel Moylan, deputy leader of the council, said: "This is an opportunity to develop a true vision for the area. It is a wonderful chance to create a complete and sustainable community."

The area will host a clinic with five GPs, a fitness centre and a primary school and nursery for 500 students aged three to 11. The school will have indoor and outdoor playing areas that will open outside normal hours.

"We know that there is already demand for more primary school places so this will satisfy a need that would be there in any case," said Mr Moylan.

SITE OF NEW ECO-CENTRE DEVELOPMENT