Environment and heritage
Natural England, the Environment Agency and Defra were concerned about water supply and wastewater discharges, as well as the development’s ability to comply with the Habitats Regulations. The agencies highlighted the impact that a new town could have on the rivers Itchen and Test – which are protected for their outstanding wildlife – as well as the effect on nearby stone-curlew breeding grounds. Meanwhile, English Heritage drew attention to the effect on the Scheduled Ancient Monument at Popham Beacons, just to the north of the eco-town site.

Going nowhere
But it was the transport issues, cited by Eagle Star as one of their site’s key advantages, that proved its undoing. As highlighted in the Dever Society’s own report, the Highways Agency and the Department for Transport flagged up the ‘very significant issues’ that the proposed development would have on the area’s road and rail links.

Despite Eagle Star’s assertion that ‘the electrified line between Winchester and Basingstoke has spare capacity’, the assessors agreed with the Dever Society’s view that the Winchester to Waterloo railway line has no spare capacity. It would, they said, need ‘major investment’ to provide a solution. In addition, out-commuting from the new town would risk adding to the ‘major congestion’ on the M3 motorway, said the Government’s advisors.

Bottom of the pile
Using a scale of A-D, the assessors graded Eagle Star’s proposals C for its environmental impact, and D on transport. They noted the local authorities’ opposition, as well as the independent South East Plan Panel report, which opposed the location on sustainability and transport grounds.

• The full text of the Government's assessment of all 54 eco-town proposals for England is available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/Eco-townsassessmentsummaries