Housing Minister Caroline Flint announced that Ford, near Littlehampton had been selected as one of the 15 locations at which an eco-town of 5,000 houses or more could be built.

Arun’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Ricky Bower. said: "I  feel absolutely no sense of reassurance that we will be listened to as a planning authority.

The Minister has completely ignored our grave concerns that such a development would be diametrically opposed to locally agreed planning policies.

Those policies have been developed in partnership with local communities, taking into consideration local needs. The Minister’s announcement says, in effect, that local policies meeting local needs mean nothing to central government."

An inquiry will need full council approval. It is thought a decision will be made on 30th April at a council meeting.

Eight councillors and an independent planner will lead any inquiry before reporting back to the council at the end of June.