Developers pledge £200m towards services for Ford eco-town

Up to £200m will be spent on providing services for the residents of the proposed Ford eco-town, the developers pledged yesterday.

The supporters of the plan made their first appearance before Yapton's residents at the last day of the hearing into the scheme.

They were subjected to tough questioning by Arun District Council's eight-strong select committee considering the proposals and members of the audience of some 60 at Yapton Village Hall.

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Yesterday morning's session concerned how the 5,000-home scheme could be developed with a range of facilities to ensure current services were not overloaded.

Two firms '“ Wates and Redrow '“ are involved in the proposals selected by the government among a shortlist of 15 possible locations.

Wates' senior land and planning manager John Tarvit told the hearing up to 200m would be available to meet the costs of services, such as roads and schools, which would have to be provided with the housing.

"We feel this is sufficient to deal with all these issues," he stated.

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Keith Annis, the regional planning director of Redrow, said a secondary school for the eco-town could cost about 25m and a primary school 2-3m. He estimated building a new Ford railway station would be 3m. Similar work had been achieved at a scheme in east Devon.

He said: "There is nothing new in any of this."

Earlier, committee member Cllr Dr James Walsh claimed the

eco-town would cause the villages surrounding the proposed site

to merge.

"It seems pretty clear to me that the proposal will effectively create a mega development, not just for the new settlement, but incorporating the existing villages within the greater eco-town."

Mr Annis said the scheme's masterplan showed just over one third of the 900 acres for residential purposes, about a third for open spaces and the other third for jobs, community facilities and recreation.

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"It's a very large canvas to work upon in the context of modern-day planning. It's a flat, readily-accessible site ideal for walking and cycling."

The intention was to work with existing residents and businesses rather than seek to antagonise them, he added. One of the attractions of the eco-town would be lower fuel prices because so much energy would be created on site through harnessing the waste from the existing sewage works and recycling facility.

A meeting of the select committee will be held at 6pm on June 17 at Arun District Council's offices to discuss its final report following the inquiry to examine the sustainability, viability and delivery of an eco-town at Ford.

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