FORD ECO-TOWN: Shadow minister praises efforts to halt eco-town

Mr Shapps spent three hours talking to villagers about their campaign to stop the 5,000 home development.

He described the work of the Communities Against Ford Eco-Town group, parish councils and their MPs as extremely well organised.

"Everyone is saying the same thing about this site," he said, "and that is that any development of it would be totally inappropriate."

But he warned campaigners they would have a tough time convincing a government determined to see millions of new homes built in the next few years of their concerns.

"No one in the government really cares what you think. You can come out with as many first class and excellent arguments as you like.

"No minister is interested in you. You had a housing minister come here, talk to you and then still call you Nimbys," he commented.

He promised a Conservative government would scrap plans for the eco-towns and put planning powers back in the hands of communities.

He said: "It's no good sitting in a cosy office in Whitehall thinking you know best where 5,000 homes should be built. A Conservative government would not ride roughshod over people like that. We would scrap all the top down, almost Stalinist, planning policies of this government.

"People want to decide where the homes should go. They know where the most appropriate sites are."

Mr Shapps's visit came as housing minister Margaret Beckett is expected to announce the final shortlist of eco-town sites in the next two months.