No Eco-Town at Dunsfold

Of the 15 first sites shorlisted by the Government as potential eco-towns, none is located in Surrey. Dunsfold is not included.

 

Of the 15 first sites shortlisted by the Government as potential eco-towns, none is located in Surrey but development of 5,000 to 8,000 houses on MOD brownfield land at Borden-Whitehill is proposed just across the county border in Hampshire.

 

There will be a 3 month consultation on eco-town benefits for this site, followed by further consultation this summer on a Sustainability Appraisal. If the Government then decides to proceed, planning applications will be prepared for public consultation in the normal way.

 

The declared national objective is to complete 5 eco-towns by 2016 and 10 by 2020. A final shortlist will be published later this year. CPRE Hampshire and CPRE Surrey will work together in monitoring how the consultation process on Borden-Whitehill proceeds. The main concern for Surrey is the prospect of additional traffic for Farnham and Guildford which are already experiencing severe road congestion. CPRE is delighted that none of the new eco-town sites use Green Belt land. It is also reassuring that Dunsfold Park is not shortlisted, presumably because of the verdict given in the Panel Report on the draft South East Plan that this location is "likely to be unsustainable due to its location and accessibility".