Prospective Winchester MP, Steve Brine, has welcomed news today (4th April 2008) that Micheldever Station will not be included on the Government’s shortlist for fifteen new ‘eco-towns’.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint made the announcement at 0930 this morning to the delight of campaigners, led by the Dever Society.
Eagle Star had submitted plans – direct to Government – to build 12,500 new houses on a huge area of land north of Winchester.
Commenting on the decision, Steve Brine said; “Local people spoke with one voice when Eagle Star presented their latest plans to build on this important greenfield site and the message to Government could not have been clearer.
"This was never about an eco-friendly development; it was about unsustainable plans for a major new town on this relatively remote rural area that have been rejected time and again by residents and their elected representatives. All credit must go to the Dever Society for ensuring Ministers made the right decision.”
Winchester City ward Cllr Barry Lipscomb said he was delighted that the Housing Minister has rejected the scheme. He said: "In failing to meet the Government's criteria for Eco-Town status, I believe that these proposals have been exposed for what I have always believed them to be - an attempt to make massive commercial profit out of the destruction of this beautiful Hampshire Downland.
"It was a cynical re-badging of the earlier proposal - rejected at every tier of local and central government - to build a market town of some 3,000 homes but grotesquely inflated to 12,500. The masquerade of pseudo environmental motivation has failed, as it should, because it fooled no-one.
"This has been a real case of a community pulling together, with so many people working tirelessly to support the Dever Society, through essential fundraising, writing letters, attending meetings and a host of other ways - all to protect the countryside we all love."
Pictured above; Steve Brine celebrates with local people as the news came through from Westminster.
- CAMPAIGN LINKS
“Eco-towns shortlist is revealed” – see BBC news report on the subject here.
"Eco-towns'; the wrong answer to the over-population question" - Jeff Randall opinion piece from Daily Telegraph (4.4.08) here.
See full coverage of this campaign with links to reports, leaflets and speeches made locally by Steve Brine here.
- NUMBER TEN DOWNING STREET PETITION
A special thank you to everyone who signed the Number 10 petition against this eco-town. If you would like to know more about the Dever Society and join their effective organisation, please visit them online via www.deversociety.org