Eco towns under further pressure

The proposed eco town at Ford in West Sussex has come under renewed pressure after a TV celebrity joined a march against it.

Presenter Ben Fogle, whose father lives in the area, took part in the protests, which is the latest to be staged in opposition to the plan, Building.co.uk reports.

Opponents claim that 87 per cent of the site will be on Greenfield land, rather than the old airfield which is the centrepiece of the proposal.

Should the protests succeed in eliminating Ford from the final shortlist, those living in the area may miss out on the chance to live in an eco home.

However, this could be accomplished by the self build method, or partially by renovating an existing home.

Another eco town proposal that has been criticised is Pennbury near Leicester.

Graham Jones from Oxford University's Centre for the Environment told the Daily Telegraph that building an eco-town there would lead to a five-fold increase in water flowing into the river Sence, which would put the downstream villages of Stoughton and Evington at increased risk of flooding.