Eco-town Hanley Grange axed, say Tesco officials

TESCO has scrapped plans for the controversial Hanley Grange eco-town.

The supermarket giant said its proposals had "a good prospect of success" under the Government's eco-town initiative but recognised the "implications" for the immediate area and region.

Despite confirming its withdrawal from the scheme, Tesco has not ruled out some form of development at the site, near Hinxton.

A spokesman said: "We believe we put forward a strong proposal for an environmentally-led, mixed use development at Hanley Grange through the Government's eco-town initiative, which combined housing, employment and cutting-edge environmental technology.

"The site was short-listed as one of 15 out of an original 57 sites and we think the proposal had a good prospect of success.

"However, we recognise a proposal of this type has implications not only for the local area but the region.

"We also believe a genuinely sustainable community stands the best chance of being successful if a broad range of stakeholders in the region feel fully engaged in the process leading up to a decision.

"We believe this is most likely to be achieved through a review of the Regional Spatial Strategy."