Hyde Park coming to Ford!

In the Littlehampton Gazette - Developers planning to build a 5,000-home eco-town in Sussex have claimed it would have more green space than London's Hyde Park. The Ford Airfield Vision Group has said 150 hectares of the 350-hectare site at Ford, near Arundel, will be green space.

Lets see what this looks like then...

Not much room for 5,000 houses, retail and the science park that will create all the jobs? Oooooh, I get it, Ford Eco Town will need at least 4,000 park wardens to look after it...

REVEALED: secret plans for up to 2,000 new homes in Littlehampton

UP to 2,000 new homes could be built in north Littlehampton under a sweeping masterplan linked to a major road scheme and changes to the town's schools.

Details have been kept secret until this week, when developers gave residents their first glimpse of the proposals and invited them to take part in a "community planning weekend" on July 18 and 19.

Many of the homes — around 1,500 — had already been earmarked by Irish food business Greencore Group on nursery sites it owns at Toddington, north of the railway line, but hundreds more are envisaged along the line of the new link road. Click for more...

Gordon Brown's eco-towns are not green

Siân Berry from the green party writes it's not often you find someone from the Green Party opposing something with the prefix "eco-", but Gordon Brown's "eco-towns" scheme is very far from deserving this badge. Click here for more....

Arun fears government consultation sham

Six strong objections were made by councillors this week to a proposed Ford eco-town. The concerns of Arun District Council about the possible 5,000-home development were emailed to the government's housing minister, Caroline Flint, early on Tuesday morning.

Her officials had given the council a few extra hours after Monday's deadline for public comments to allow the council's formal reaction to be given.

A special council meeting held on Monday evening left no doubt about the views of Arun's members.

Cllr Paul Dendle (Arundel) said: "This is a half-baked, half-brained scheme at Ford which will fast become an eco-slum. I am worried the government has already pre-determined this and any consultation will be a sham." Click for more...

The harder they fall...

I have curiously been watching property developers stocks melt like ice cubes on the Devils back over the last few weeks...

Taylor Wimpey had seen UK housing reservations drop 45% in the first half of the year and its share price was hammered in response, dropping by as much as 57%, or 34 pence, at one point to 26p! Redrow are well down on their annual high last year and shares in other housebuilders also suffered, with Barratt Developments down 30%, Persimmon 17.6% lower and Bellway dropping 9.4%.

Of course - I'm no expert? But talk around the campfire is gloomy years ahead for property, and those who are backing Eco-Towns are putting their bulldozers in reverse... Bring it on!

Yapton Local News posts protest video

June 30th saw C.a.f.e supporters March on London,the sun shone,but more importantly we got the message over to Caroline Flint. ( We Dont Want An Eco Con ). Click here for the video of the protest, which includes " Ford " the Scarecrow. Enjoy

News reports

Eco-Towns Scam - Parliment Lobby 30 June
Indymedia UK

Eco-town protest is taken to Parliament
Crawley Observer

Eco-town fight moves to London
The Argus

The Big Question: What are eco-towns, and how green are they in reality?

Michael McCarthy, Independent.co.uk Environment Editor answers some important questions about Eco-Towns.

Labour could force through plans to stop Tories axing them

Ministers could use controversial planning legislation and an unelected quango to force through plans for new eco-towns after the Tories said they would axe them if they won power at the next general election.

Eco-town protesters to march on Parliament
Eco-towns do not offer 'sustainable living'
Eco-towns: Britain's brave new worlds?

The news came as hundreds of campaigners gathered outside Parliament to protest against Government plans to build 10 eco-towns across parts of England. Read more here...

Eco-town demonstration held

Hundreds of campaigners from many of the 15 sites in England earmarked for eco-towns have marched to Parliament in protest at the plans. Click here for video...

Eco-town protesters holding demo

Hundreds of campaigners from many of the 15 sites in England earmarked for "eco-towns" have marched on Parliament in protest at the plans.

As the first round of public consultation ends, local authorities and pressure groups are handing in their responses.

It comes as environmental campaigners call on ministers to "go back to the drawing board" on the plans. Click here for more...

Packed room 14!

These meeting rooms are BIG! Hundreds of people had to sit... 

And here we go...

Media frenzy..!

Traffic hooted, honked & tooted at our protest!

How can the developers describe the site as 30% Brownfield?

Dear Eco-Town Team,

On this, the last day that the public can have their say, (I understand the developers get a lot longer!) I fell I must write on a subject that has been bothering me for a long time.

How can the developers describe the site as 30% Brownfield? How can areas that are currently farmed, be clearly shown on their consolation map as brownfield?

After some investigation I have found the answer ‘Previously-developed land is that which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land and any associated fixed surface infrastructure.’ in Ford's case this curtilage 'includes land in the ownership of the former airfield operator required to allow the airfield to be used safely (including land required to allow planes to land and taxi safely and to be stored and serviced).'

In short in Ford's case Brownfield is, All land sold with the airfield even if this was never built on.

In the context of an Eco-Town, should we be allowing legal definitions to let developers claim farmland is brownfield?

I have not calculated but looking from google earth, I would estimate only 5% of the entire site is not at present farmland, how can it be 'Eco' to build a new town on 95% farmland?

When this is taken into account, Ford is probably not the largest brownfield site in Arun as we are told, the former LEC site in Bognor Regis for one, must have more un-farmed land on it.

As with my previous letter, I hope you take this letter seriously and remove Ford from the list of Eco-Towns

Regards
Neil Champion

Eco-town campaigners to hold demo

Campaigners from many of the 15 sites in England earmarked for "eco-towns" are to voice their opposition by staging a protest outside Parliament.

The groups, which include local authorities and pressure groups, will then hand in their response to the first round of public consultation.

It comes as environmental campaigners call on ministers to "go back to the drawing board" on the plans. Read more here...

A nice little earner!

The Treasury stands to make about £275million through land sales.
read more ...

I'd like to take this opportunity to cheer on all the good folks who are going to be marching on Parliament today.

Sorry I couldn't make it myself, but I'll be there in spirit.

Give 'em hell!!

Editor-At-Large: A vision that will make slums of what's left of our rural heritage

Tomorrow, central London will be paralysed as people from all over Britain march voicing displeasure at the demented plans to desecrate the English countryside with 10 new eco-towns. Read more here...