More than 40 per cent of the 350 hectare (865 acre) site would be allocated for green, open space, according to the Ford Airfield Vision Group (FAVG), the consortium of landowners and housebuilders which wants to develop the "zero-carbon" community.

FAVG's current masterplan proposes more than 150 hectares of open space, the equivalent of 214 full size football pitches, including nine hectares of allotments, five hectares of community orchards, more than 21 hectares of community woodlands, a 10 hectare town park at the heart of the Eco-Town and four two hectare community parks throughout the site.

Click here to see a larger version of the Eco-Town masterplan picture.

The group says part of the Portsmouth to Arundel Canal would be restored, "with adjoining water linkages to create a centrepiece for 'greenways' and a counterpoint to a new wetland area adjacent to the River Arun.

"It also will add to the bio-diverse habitats throughout the eco-town."
Nine out of 10 of the homes built at Ford would also have private gardens or outside spaces.

John Tarvit, of FAVG, said the Ford development would be "the greenest community in the UK, if not Europe" and would help to tackle Arun's housing crisis by providing 5,000 new homes with access to "a fantastic range of green open space".

As well as the new homes, of which 2,000 would be "affordable", the development would provide around 4,000 jobs in "knowledge-based" industries such as cutting-edge science, research and development, technology and light industrial in new business parks, together with shops, a health facility, a secondary school, and community and sports facilities.

FAVG said its bid was backed up by a new nationwide opinion poll at the weekend which showed 46 per cent of respondents tended to, or strongly, supported the development of Eco-Towns and almost as many, 45 per cent, were neutral or felt unable to comment. Just nine per cent of people opposed Eco-Towns.

Almost eight out of 10 people questioned by YouGov acknowledged a shortage in affordable housing in their area, with almost six out of 10 saying there was very little or no affordable housing within five miles of their home.

Mr Tarvit said: "This poll confirms what we have been saying all along, that the Eco-Towns proposals seek to address major issues faced by this country."

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