In Depth Feature: "Ford in Westminster Eco-fight"

Catherine Morrow goes out with demonstrators in London

Even through the loud metropolitan London traffic, the chants of "Hey Caroline, leave our land alone!" rang loudly in my ears. Here I was standing in the middle of a passionate anti eco town demonstration outside of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Demonstrators from the main anti eco town campaign groups of Ford, Middle Quinton, Weston Otmoor and Hanley Grange were busy waving their banners and boards high into the air for all of the gathered press and pedestrians to see, but particularly Housing Minister Caroline Flint.

Protesters of all ages wanted to vocalise their opposition. I spoke to protesters from West Sussex about the proposed eco town at Ford.

Chairman of Ford Parish Council Ron Field said: "Until the decision is made in October, we’ve got to carry on fighting. We’re not Nimbys as they say, we do not want it at Ford for several reasons. The main one is the Greenfield land. Why should they build on land that’s producing food when there’s a shortage worldwide.”

I interrupted West Sussex resident Wendy Sanders from singing her eco town slogans. She said: "Superimposing this eco town will completely destroy the momentum of Arundel and the six villages. We don’t have the infrastructure. It’s just the wrong time, the wrong moment and the wrong place. I’ve got nothing against eco towns, they just have to be well thought out of where they’re going to put them. In writing, we have very well thought out and thoroughly researched written information which we’re going to present and I think she’s [Flint] has got to rethink. I think she’s realising she just didn’t do her homework.”

Yapton resident Ken Scott was very clear in his hopes from the demonstration. He said: “We object to concreting over viable fields. We hope the demonstration bears fruit and that the Government rethinks their whole strategy. If they build a new town, it would destroy the whole environmental structure and could become, it’s a strong word, a slum.”

The big question now is will the Government go back to the drawing board and rethink its eco town strategy of using brownfields and saving greenfields?