Other short-listed areas are way ahead of us in Eco-Town protests

Of course we need more affordable housing, and we must all act to stop climate change, but this does not have to be achieved by building an Eco-Town on a greenfield site.

If the project goes ahead, the good agricultural land which is currently in use and makes up the vast majority of the site, would be lost.

The site itself is not just Ford Airfield '“ it is more than three times the size of Yapton village.

Yapton, Ford and Climping would lose their own individual identities and would merge into one enormous town.

It would cause increased traffic and pollution on already over-stretched roads; it would ruin the existing countryside, and impact on wildlife; it would completely override Arun District Council's housing and redevelopment plans in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (where there are already jobs, transport, education and health services, and no impact on greenfield sites).

The plan would also affect local businesses, as it includes plans for retail sites and a supermarket.

The only way to stop this development is local opposition.

Local communities in the other 14 proposed sites are already way ahead of us in this.

Please write to your MP, your councillors (www.writetothem.com) and the local press.

Sign the on-line petition at: petitions.pm.gov.uk/No-Ford-Eco-Town

Cathy Taylor, Park Cottages, North End Road, Yapton

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