THE chairman of the Eco-town Housing Theme Group has resigned, describing the entire project as "hypocritical" and "malnamed".

Stephen Miles stood down this week and said the eco-town represented the "ecological destruction of the heathland countryside in Whitehill and Bordon".

The main reason for his resignation from the specialist group was the preferred route for the inner relief road, chosen by Hampshire County Council earlier this year. Mr Miles said the "first major decision" on the road indicates that those involved in the eco-town have "no concern or understanding of the concept of biodiversity".

The proposed routes for the new road, which will run around the town in a bid to reduce traffic on the A325, were split into two - the northern section with five possible routes and the southern with two.

Of all the possible routes the "preferred option", which will go through the old railway corridor, has been described by many as the most ecologically damaging.

For full story, see this week's Bordon Herald.