The number of homes proposed for a new eco-town on a former north Norfolk airbase could be doubled to 10,000.Developer Richard Davies, whose consortium is behind the eco-town bid at the former RAF Coltishall, has confirmed he is about to unveil three different options to create environmentally friendly homes in a sustainable development at Scottow.

THE number of homes proposed for a new eco-town on a former north Norfolk airbase could be doubled to 10,000.

Developer Richard Davies, whose consortium is behind the eco-town bid at the former RAF Coltishall, has confirmed he is about to unveil three different options to create environmentally friendly homes in a sustainable development at Scottow.

The first would see 5,000 homes, a second 7,500 and a third would see a development almost double the size of North Walsham with 10,000 homes.

The news comes as communities across the country give their views on 15 different eco-town proposals and on the government's general eco-town strategy in a month-long consultation.

Gordon Brown has pledged to build 100,000 environmentally friendly homes in 10 sustainable developments by 2020 and the 630-acre RAF Coltishall site made it on to the shortlist of 15 last month with a proposal for 5,000 homes.

But now Norfolk MPs have questioned whether it was possible to have a legitimate consultation when all the details were not yet available.

Mr Davies said details of the three proposals would be posted on the Coltishall group's website in the coming days.

He said: "There are three different schemes but we would need the biggest one to operate all the facilities such as a school and medical centre and all the other small-town requirements."

He added that although some public consultation had already taken place, more would follow should his proposal be one of the chosen 10.

But north Norfolk MP Norman Lamb said he could not give his support to any eco-plan without knowing the full details.

He said: "I do not want to dismiss this out of hand but I want there to be a reasonable debate about it.

"The problem we are going to have is that if we do not have time to properly assess it then we are forced to object to it."

Keith Simpson, MP for mid-Norfolk, said: "If more homes are planned then this changes the whole set-up."

He added that he would have expected firm proposals to be in place before any public consultation.