Fears government could agree Ford eco-town project

Thousands of homes proposed for Ford could be agreed by the government as soon as next month.

Communities and local government minister Hazel Blears is expected to announce in February whether the village has been chosen as the site for a new eco-town.

A leading civil servant has also requested a meeting with senior Arun District Council officers and members this week. This has further raised the likelihood the outcome would soon be known.

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One leading councillor put the odds of 5,000-20,000 homes being built at Ford as high as 50:50. The prediction was made as Arun District Council's members voted unanimously to oppose the current eco-town process and to tell Ms Blears about their views. They also agreed, with just one abstention, to ask the district MPs to arrange a meeting with Ms Blears to discuss their concerns.

The support of parish councils and organisations such as the county council will also be sought to back Arun's case.

The eco-towns idea was announced by the government last July. The idea is to create sustainable settlements with affordable housing.

But they are likely to be approved without the need for the chosen developer to go through the usual planning application system. The homes will also be extra to those which the government is already demanding districts should accommodate.

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This could mean a community the size of Littlehampton being created in the rural surroundings of Ford as well as a major new development located west of the River Arun, such as North Bersted, on top of the site six scheme.

Crucially, the developers of the eco-towns will be expected to provide all the improvements in services needed to cope with the extra thousands of residents. Two rival proposals have been announced for Ford. These are being looked at by Ms Blears. Arun chief executive Ian Sumnall warned councillors time was limited for them to have any say in the matter.

'Unless Arun acts quickly, I have a serious concern that such a new town will be a reality,' he stated.

He spoke scathingly about the procedure which enabled such a large community to be created without the chance for councillors and residents to comment. 'This process has nothing to do with eco-towns and nothing to do with planning. It is about increasing housing numbers across the country. This is a naked attempt to ride roughshod over the democratic planning process,' he fumed.