Planning applications for a £2.3bn town on the site of a former power station on the Hampshire coast have been withdrawn.
Developer Fawley Waterside Ltd wanted to build a coastal ‘smart town’ on the brownfield land, which is surrounded by the New Forest National Park.
It was set to create 1,500 homes and 2,000 jobs, with a canal running through the centre earning the planned town the nickname ‘Venice of Britain’.
New Forest District Council granted planning permission in 2020, and by last year, all former power station structures had been demolished.
But the local authority said Fawley Waterside Ltd never signed the legal agreements – and the developer has now said the plans are unviable.
Council leader Jill Cleary said she was pleased the authority now had clarity about the plans.
The developer said a new future for the site would need to be determined, with any successor scheme needing to meet an ‘exceptionally high’ standard of design, while benefiting the local wildlife and improving public access.
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