The UK’s Hanham Hall Development will be the largest eco-village yet if everything goes as planned. Rumored to be close to 200 zero carbon homes, the development will include its own onsite biomass CHP (combined heat/power) plant, shops for local farmers to sell goods, utilities that encourage bike usage, and a drainage system boasting reusable water.

All this is a result of the Carbon Challenge Programme, a UK government goal to reach zero carbon in all new builds by 2016.

We learn more details from Inhabitat:

Built on the site of a former hospital, which is being transformed into a new community center, each house in the Hanham Development will be free of VOCs, to help ensure a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle for residents. SIPS panels will be used as the main structural element throughout the development, with the addition of other energy efficient materials. Recycling of materials onsite will ensure a zero carbon footprint. Construction is currently underway, and the first homes are slated for completion in 2010. Read post in Inhabitat.