FORD ECO-TOWN: Special council group formed

The eight Arun District Council members and independent planning advisor Jim Redwood will begin their sessions at 9.30am on Tuesday, May 27.

The public meetings will consist of a round table discussion with at least four parties present at each session to be called upon by the committee to contribute to the discussion.

These parties will include a representative of the combined Ford Enterprise Hub/Ford Airfield Vision Group scheme; an expert witness, such as the Environment Agency; a council witness, perhaps a planning policy officer; and a member of the Communities Against Ford Eco-Town group.

Members of the public will have 30 minutes at the start of each meeting to have their say.

The sessions, at the Arun Civic Centre at Littlehampton, will stretch over six days. The last meeting '“ on June 4 '“ will be held at Yapton Village Hall with an extended period for residents to speak out.

Local groups are likely to be given the afternoon to make their comments. The committee's final report will be sent to the government before the June 30 deadline.

After that, housing minister Caroline Flint will select the final ten eco-town sites from the current 15 possible locations.

Arun's leader, Cllr Gill Brown, said: "Our unique select committee inquiry is Arun's way of bringing this debate out into the public and, by discussing the numerous issues with experts and analysing the evidence, allowing the people of Arun to see for themselves whether or not an eco-town at Ford is feasible.

"If the answer after all of this detailed research and discussion turns out to be 'no', then the government must be forced to adjust their plans accordingly or admit that this whole process is undemocratic and unfair."

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