Arun councillors have voted overwhelmingly to oppose plans for a proposed eco-town at Ford, following recommendations made by the special Select Committee set up by the Council.

At a special meeting of the Full Council, councillors agreed with the final report of the Select Committee that the proposals were deeply flawed and should not be supported.

Leader of the Council Mrs Gillian Brown said: "Firstly I would like to offer my thanks to the Select Committee for the professional manner in which they approached the inquiry and the diligent way they dealt with the mountain of information that was put before them.

"After reading their report and taking all of the available evidence into account it is this Council's opinion that Ford is not a suitable site for an eco-town and we urge the Government not to take these proposals to the next stage of development.

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"Because of the unique way in which this Council has handled the eco-town consultation, our response to the Government is based purely on the evidence available, making it as sound and robust as possible. I hope they will have no choice but to take it into account."

At the meeting councillors also agreed that the Government should be made aware of the other more sustainable housing options available for the District and approved a set of recommendations from a separate report by the Chief Executive Ian Sumnall to determine key alternative housing locations before the Government makes its decision in October. The Select Committee will reconvene in September to examine the issue and make a further report to the Council about the merits of these alternatives.

Cllr Brown added: "Our opposition to the proposed eco-town at Ford is not 'nimbyism', it is based on a fair hearing of the evidence. We do not deny that Arun is in need of housing, young people in particular need assistance to get onto the property ladder. However, the eco-town process is trying to override the democratic planning framework that allows local authorities to make decisions based on the need of their community. We are the ones with the local knowledge and we are the ones best placed to decide what meets local needs."

(CD/JM)