Family’s dramatic bid for alternative eco-site

10:37am Friday 25th April 2008

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A DRAMATIC bid to derail plans for an eco-town at Long Marston by developing a neighbouring site a third of the size has been launched this week.

The group behind the latest move claims a 2,500 home development on the neighbouring Long Marston airfield would be sufficient to meet the area's housing needs for the foreseeable future.

Lodders Solicitors in Stratford confirmed they had sent Stratford District Council a letter of intent on behalf of H G Hodges & Son, which owns the airfield, that detailed this alternative scheme' for consideration.

Victor Matts of Lodders said: "The Hodges family would be prepared to offer the land to the council to fulfil the local housing need as an alternative to the eco-town scheme.

"Importantly, it would need the backing of the local community and the council to proceed and would be scrapped if the eco-town plans went ahead."

Stratford District Council has yet to receive any planning application for the proposal, but confirmed it had received the letter and that no decision had been made.

Colin Staves, policy, heritage and design manager at Stratford District Council, said: "A proposal of this nature would have to be considered through the preparation of the local development framework and would be one of the options that would have to be tested to be part of the process."

Campaigners have initially dismissed the idea claiming it was an example of other developers jumping on the eco-town bandwagon and would like to see more details.

Melanie Riley, spokesman for the BARD campaign group, said: "These latest proposals came out of the blue. They're just another example of the ripple effect of choosing Long Marston as a site for 6,000 new homes and where will it end? Who will be next to jump on the bandwagon if the Government is allowing developers to ride-roughshod over regional planning strategy?

"What really concerns residents is the lack of detail behind development plans for the area, and it's time for all councils affected to have a serious look at all the proposals to see if any of them are really necessary and sustainable.

"Clearly, our view is no."

Leader of Cotswold District Council, Lynden Stowe, has reacted negatively to the idea saying that even one town would result in a large-scale butchering of the North Cotswolds'.

However, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the Cotswolds, said: "My initial reaction is that the airfield should be used and that this proposal could be a more attractive option to a much larger eco-town."

Stratford District Council would be responsible for determining the outcome of any planning application for the airfield, which lies wholly within their remit.

Two important meetings to discuss the eco- town at Long Marston are taking place tomorrow, Friday, April 25, at Honeybourne Village Hall from 6pm and at King George's Hall in Mickleton from 8pm.