Presentation at Haverhill Arts Centre gives public the chance to discuss Forest City project for one million inhabitants

Opinions in favour of and against a proposal to build a new city of more than a million people between Haverhill and Newmarket have already been expressed by some.

But from 6.30pm tomorrow (Monday, March 2), the general public will get their chance to ask questions about the Forest City 1 development during a presentation and Q&A at Haverhill Arts Centre.

Shiv Malik and Joe Reeve’s plans for Britain's first city in 50 years would see a new garden development of 400,000 homes built on 45,000 acres of agricultural land.

Mr Malik said in November: "This city would be an absolute game changer for Haverhill.

“Not only would it provide over 20 years of construction work, but having one of the most dynamic cities in Europe on its doorstep would create huge wealth, opportunity and rising house prices for residents."

It would deliver, claim its creators, multiple train stations, including from Haverhill, and ‘provide jobs for decades to come’, as well as other new amenities such as four hospitals, dentists and leisure facilities.

It is also claimed that the new project would create 12,000 acres of forest, 8,000 acres of new commercial space and tens of billions in new investment.

Mr Malik and Mr Reeve have said that they want to grow the UK economy and an initial policy document said after 20 years, the city could have a GDP of £55bn.

West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy previously described the plans as ‘completely unrealistic’, adding: "Cambridge is hugely important for our area, but the answer isn’t to build a massive new city on our doorstep.”

Andy Neal, who represents Mildenhall Queensway at West Suffolk Council, has said he didn’t support the new city project but is in favour of creating new settlements to meet the growth targets.

Cllr Joe Mason, a town, district and county councillor in Haverhill said previously that ‘sweeping away thousands of acres of productive food producing countryside without proper study or consent would be reckless and damaging’.

Simon Dudley, former chair of both Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, expressed his doubts about the project earlier this month.

He said: "Housing appears to be certain. Jobs are hypothetical. At the same time, quietly assuming that a reservoir-scale water supply will materialise in East Anglia, one of the UK`s most water-stressed regions.

“It is a recipe for disaster, paid for by the taxpayer and dressed up as progress.”

The event is free but registrations are requested