Government eco-town ad caught out by Advertising Standards Authority

The government has been caught out by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for exaggerating the environmental credentials of an eco-town.

In an advertisement seeking the public’s feedback on the proposed Curborough eco-town, the government claimed the development would be built on brownfield land.

But the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has now admitted the town would have been built on green countryside, according to the Independent.

The ASA upheld a complaint about the claim.

However, it did also dismiss a complaint about claims in the advertisement that up to half of the eco-town would be affordable housing.

The ASA told the Independent: “DCLG acknowledged that the documentation was factually inaccurate and the majority of the proposed site was on Greenfield land and only partly on the site of the former Fradley airfield.

“They believed an error had been made in preparing the consultation document, which was repeated in the subsequent ad.”

The Curborough scheme was withdrawn in July by its developers Gleeson Homes, Redrow Homes, Hallam Land and Banks Developments.