Ben Lee,
PlanningResource,
28 August 2008
Planning can exclusively reveal that Hanley Grange has withdrawn from the race to become an eco-town.
Developers Jarrow Investments and Tesco revealed the decision today.
A spokesman for Tesco said it is now planning a sustainable community at the Hanley Grange site in Cambridgewhire which will go through the region’s Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) process instead.
He said an eco-town scheme was a big project that had wide impacts on the region and that it was correct for growth in the region to take place through the East of England’s RSS process.
Jarrow Investments had planned a 6,500-home town on 264ha of land under its control near Hinxton.
Landowners, The Wellcome Trust, had also been approached to sell 109ha at Hinxton Estate to Jarrow but following strong local opposition to the plans, the charity announced it was not selling its land.
Cllr David Bard, South Cambridgeshire District Council portfolio holder for new communities, said: I congratulate Tesco on their decision to withdraw from the eco-towns process following our joint discussions with them.
"We are very pleased that they now accept that the best way to proceed with planning for new developments in the district is through the existing planning mechanism of the Regional Spatial Strategy.
"Together with our partner authorities and Horizons, and alongside people from the area, we’ve worked hard to demonstrate the very real and tangible reasons why the eco-town proposal was a bad idea. Today’s announcement is good news for us all."
ben.lee@haymarket.com
