Developers planning to build a 5,000-home eco-town in Sussex have claimed it would have more green space than London's Hyde Park.

The Ford Airfield Vision Group has said 150 hectares of the 350-hectare site at Ford, near Arundel, will be green space.

But campaigners against the development say the claims are "eco-spin", covering up the development of greenfield land.

Equivalent to 214 full-sized football pitches, the proposed green space would include nine hectares of allotments, five of orchards and more than 21 hectares of woodlands.

A ten-hectare town park and four two-hectare community parks would also be included.

The developers also say 90% of homes would have private gardens or outside spaces.

Nick Herbert, Arundel and South Downs MP, said he was dubious of the claims.

He said: "I think this is absolutely typical of developers who want to build on greenfield land and then claim the credit for leaving a proportion for green space.

"Once again we see this incessant eco-spin. The fact is that these green fields are going to be concreted over and claiming some green space will be left is hardly any consolation.

"This is in the same league as building on grade one agricultural land and then saying it's OK because people will grow vegetables in their gardens.

"They keep coming up with ever more fantastic reasons for building in the countryside."

The developers said that part of the Portsmouth-Arundel Canal would be restored and a wetland area would add to biodiverse habitats throughout the eco-town.

John Tarvit, of the group, said: "As well as helping to tackle Arun's housing crisis through providing 5,000 new homes, we will be able to give people access to a fantastic range of green open space."

The aim is to create a carbon-neutral community but campaign group Communities Against Ford Eco-town (Cafe) said any building on the fields would start in carbon deficit.

The group said its scientific study found building on the 300 hectares of wheat fields would mean the 6,454 tonnes of CO2 they soak up annually would stay in the atmosphere.

Terry Knott, Cafe chairman, said: "Current high-grade green fields remove more than 6,000 tonnes of carbon each year from the air. What eco-town can achieve that on top of trying to be carbon neutral?"