SUTTON could soon be London's most sustainable suburb thanks to its commitment to become a One Planet borough by 2025. And if you're wondering what a One Planet borough hopes to address, this is what Sutton Council has to say: “If everyone in the world lived as we did in Sutton, we would need almost three planets' worth of resources to maintain our lifestyle (our ecological footprint). This is unsustainable and expensive”. [...]

The borough already has a good record for pioneering eco-developments; it is home to BedZED, the UK's first large-scale mixed-use sus- tainable community of 100 homes, a college, com- munity facilities and office space. This pioneering eco-village was built back in 2002 and is the head- quarters of Bioregional, a charity that works with partners to create better places to live and work. [...]

Barratt London is also building new homes at the site and will be incorporating green and living walls to help combat air pollution, absorb rainwater, increase local biodiversity and regulate air temperature. Sustainable transport options will include an on-site car share scheme, cycle paths and buses. And Hackbridge railway station has a B 30-minute journey to London Victoria and 40 minutes to St Pancras International. By 2019, when the development is complete, there will be shops including a super- market, a GPs' surgery and assisted living care home in Hackbridge Gardens.

The other good news is that Sutton is one of the most affordable boroughs in London. Accor- ding to hybrid estate agent Emoov.co.uk the ave- rage first-time buyer house in Sutton is £320,150 compared to £425,253 across the capital. Emoov CEO Russell Quirk says: “While all property tiers in Sutton are cheaper than London on average, flats and terraced housing offer the most affor- dable options – between £130,000 and £150,000 cheaper than the London average.”