As the start of the six-day public investigation into the viability of an eco-town at Ford looms, Council representatives visited Whitehall to present evidence to the eco-town Challenge Panel.

The Panel, which comprises 12 'experts' from the worlds of design, transport and television, has been appointed by the Government to challenge the developers of eco-towns to meet the highest standards possible for sustainability and design in their final proposals.

As part of a three-day hearing, in which the Panel will hear evidence from proposers of the 15 short-listed schemes across the country, Arun District Council’s Chief Executive, Ian Sumnall, and Head of Planning, Howard Cheadle, gave a 10-minute presentation to the Panel about issues surrounding the location at Ford.

The promoters of the scheme at Ford, the Ford Airfield Vision Group and the Ford Enterprise Hub, have now joined forces to support a single refined bid and also presented their plans to the Challenge Panel.

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Ian Sumnall, Chief Executive, said: "Whilst it is a shame that this is the only way in which the Government has asked us to be involved, the meeting with the Challenge Panel was very positive.

"They listened to everything we had to say and seemed to understand that building an eco-town at Ford could have a far-reaching effect across the District. As well as looking at the viability of building such a massive development at Ford, we must also consider the impact it will have on regeneration efforts in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and the Panel seemed to understand this.

"Hopefully they will take our comments on board and try to address them when they make their recommendations to the proposers."

The Challenge Panel, which includes President of the Town and Country Planning Authority (TCPA) Sir Peter Hall and former Chief Executive of the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) John Walker, does not have the power to force developers to make improvements to their plans, it can only make suggestions.

It will publish recommendations for each site on how the development could be made more sustainable, but it is ultimately the developers’ decision whether or not to implement them.

The Challenge Panel meeting comes just one week before the Council's special Select Committee begins its public investigation into the viability of building an eco-town at Ford.

See: Preparations Begin For Possible Eco-Town At Ford

(CD/JM)