Eco-town shortlist delayed as projects falter

Eco-towns have hit yet another hurdle with a shortlist of bidders delayed until next year.

MPs were expected to announce the shortlist of about 10 projects in October but have put the date back to reconsider revised submissions.

Since drawing up a shortlist of 16 schemes in April, three bidders have dropped out and one in Rossington, South Yorkshire has been scaled down from 15,000 homes to 5,000.

According to the Financial Times, three more are in doubt. These are:

• Coltishall, Norfolk: the government has won permission to build a prison on the same site as the proposed eco-town.
• Hanley Grange, Cambridge: land owner the Wellcome Trust refused to sell land to developer Jarrow Investments.
• Selby, North Yorkshire: the council has blocked developers.

The newspaper said the government is now backtracking and talking of developing "up to 10" of the sites.