Ian Tant was among those who on behalf of the Ford Airfield Vision Group presented the case for an eco-town.

The group has linked with the Ford Enterprise Hub, one of whose founders, Tony Dixon, was also present at the meeting.

Mr Trant, a senior partner at Barton Willmore, said Ms Flint had listened intently to their proposals.

"Our time with her ran well over the original timetable," he revealed.

"We have to make changes to the way we live. The whole point of an eco-town is to reduce the reliance on the private car.

"It is looking forward to the way we have to live in the future. We will not be able to drive around as we do now because of a combination of the cost of fuel and the effect of climate change.

"We have to find alternative ways of living. The eco-town is all about a new lifestyle with new choices about how we live and how we work and how we reach the facilities we need."

He claimed Ford was an ideal location for such a pioneering project in bringing homes, jobs and services together in a sustainable setting.

The area had long been recognised in planning policies, and during the debate about a South Downs National Park, as being of less importance than sites elsewhere in the area.