Villagers in rural Bedfordshire fear they could be forced by law to sell their homes as part of the plan to build an eco-town in the Marston Vale.

The bombshell was delivered to residents when developer O&H Properties held the first of its series of roadshows to explain its plans to local people at Marston Moretaine Village Hall on Thursday.

Residents claim they were told their homes could be subject to compulsory purchase orders to make way for the eco-town – legally forcing them to sell their homes to the developers.

Stewart Long, spokesman for residents' group the Marston Moretaine Eco-Town Action Group (MMETAG), said: "There were gasps throughout the room when they said it. People were shocked, and clearly very angry.

"That has been the case while dealing with this whole process. You start off feeling disheartened but then you feel very angry. O&H Properties clearly just don't care.

"They had no answers to most of the questions people asked of them, they were just going through the motions and weren't bothered.
"It was ridiculous."

Mr Long added that residents were given little warning of the meeting by O&H Properties, as posters only appeared in shop windows in the village on the same afternoon as the meeting took place.

He said: "This was their chance to tell us how wonderful the eco-town would be and why we residents would benefit.

"But instead they said that they would either build around us or force us out with compulsory purchase orders.

"I would love to tell you that the late notice of the meeting was malicious, but I think it was incompetence. And it was obvious at the meeting that they weren't properly prepared."

Plans to build an eco-town in the heart of Bedfordshire have proved highly controversial since they were first revealed in April.

The county is one of 13 sites shortlisted for development, after the government completed the first of two rounds of consultation.

Government proposals would see 15,000-plus new homes being built on greenfield and brownfield land by 2020, at a development called Marston Vale. Previous plans to build a second new eco-town in the same area, called New Marston, have been dropped.

But when Caroline Flint, the minister of state for housing and planning, met members of Lidlington Action Group in June she was forced to "run for cover" as protesters showed their displeasure.

MMETAG is now planning a protest march on Saturday, September 20.

A spokesman for O&H Properties denied the company would use compulsory purchase orders.

James French said: "O&H does not have any compulsory purchase order powers and the government's Department of Communities and Local Government has stated that it has no intention to use its powers.

"I'd also like to underline that the event was not a public consultation meeting. It was an opportunity for residents to come and see O&H's initial ideas for the settlement and put questions to O&H representatives and its consultants. Public consultation meetings are likely to take place in spring 2009.

"So far, the plan is just a vision plan and it will be refined over the coming months."