Ecotown plans 'demolished by Tesco'

An 8,000-home ecotown plan has been scrapped after retail giant Tesco pulled out of discussions, according to reports.

The BBC stated that the proposed development in Cambridgeshire was to be built at Hanley Grange and the withdrawal of Tesco follows a similar move by the other main landowner in July.

Campaigners against the controversial project at a greenfield site described the decision as a victory "for local democracy".

It was reported that the Hanley Grange plan was one of 15 carbon-neutral towns selected by the government earlier this year.

Tesco's withdrawal could lead to people in the area deciding to go it alone and self build their own green ecohome.

The FT reported that Tesco had "some reservations about the way in which the government is bulldozing local authorities to get its new conurbations built".

In June, the newspaper stated that an ecotown built on a greenfield site is inherently unsustainable.