Eco-town plan taken off shortlist

Campaigners said future plans for development would be opposed

A site in Nottinghamshire has been removed from a list of potential new towns, it has been confirmed.

The former RAF base at Newton was on a shortlist of 11 locations for thousands of carbon neutral houses.

It was not one of first four schemes chosen by the government, but campaigners had feared it could be included in a second phase.

A government spokesman has now said it will no longer be considered due to opposition and logistical problems.

Leaders of Rushcliffe Borough Council met the then Housing Minister Caroline Flint and Transport Minister Tom Harris to argue the site was unsuitable.

Developer Crown Estates had insisted the town would provide jobs and social housing, but campaigners said it would have overwhelmed local services and led to traffic problems.

Carol Collins from the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Nottinghamshire said: "I can only be delighted because we have been arguing for a long time that it is not a suitable site for a large settlement.

"We are absolutely in favour of developing in an eco-friendly manner and making all new developments as eco-friendly as possible, but I think the arguments against Newton becoming an eco-town were very strong."