Hundreds attend 'eco-town' march

Protests came as the government moved to the next stage of plans

More than 600 people have marched along one of Bedfordshire's busiest roads in protest against a so-called "eco-town".

The demonstrators set off from Marston Moretaine village hall and went along Bedford Road before turning east on to the A421.

The A421 was partially closed during the march, leading to traffic delays.

The protesters are angry at the prospect of 15,000 new homes being built in Marston Vale and wanted to demonstrate their strength of feeling.

'No decisions taken'

Hugh Roberts, one of the organisers of the march, said: "We want to make sure our opposition is loud and clear to make it absolutely clear that opposition in this community is complete.

"(There are) those that have seen reports in the press and rumours in Whitehall that opposition to the eco-town in this community is less than elsewhere.

"Today that'll be abundantly clear that this is not the case because if villagers are prepared to stop the traffic on a major trunk road, that has to sound alarm bells in Westminster."

A spokesperson for Communities and Local Government said: "Marston is a strong proposal but there are challenges that developers need to address, as with all locations on the shortlist.

"No decisions have been taken on the bids that will forward and only the best ones with the highest environmental standards will be in with a chance of making the final shortlist.

"We desperately need more homes in this country for our young families and first time buyers, and eco-towns are a unique opportunity to provide more affordable housing where it is needed, while pioneering new green ways of living that will act as a showcase for new development everywhere."

Proposals for an 8,000-home eco-town at a greenfield site in Cambridgeshire were abandoned at the end of August when supermarket giant Tesco pulled out.

Final approval will not be given to up to 10 eco-towns planned across England until early 2009 - three months later than originally forecast.