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The new bidders for the government鈥檚 eco-towns scheme will not have to go through the same process as the original bidders.

Of the 16 bidders shortlisted in April, four have formally withdrawn, with the latest 鈥� Tesco 鈥� saying it had stepped back from Hanley Grange last week (see below). Two further sites are unlikely to be developed.

Since April three new bidders have emerged 鈥� a consortium of public bodies for a site in Norfolk and the Crown Estate and Crown Golf for separate sites near Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire. However, the communities department this week confirmed that they would not face the challenge panel process used to improve the quality of earlier bids.

The revelation is likely to put pressure on the government over the eco-towns process, which critics claim is not robust enough to ensure new towns are genuinely sustainable.

The government had claimed the 12-strong panel, led by John Walker, former chief executive of the Commission for New Towns, would have a 鈥渒ey鈥� role in improving and shaping the future eco-towns.

The communities department said: 鈥淭he panel was designed to give developers the benefit of its expertise, but it has concluded its work. It was not part of the assessment process, so does not need to be reconvened.鈥�

Stephen Hill, director of consultancy C2O Futureplanners, said the decision was 鈥渆rratic and inconsistent鈥� and that the selection process was 鈥渂izarre鈥�.

Kate Gordon, policy director for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said the challenge panel process had only ever been a 鈥渇ig leaf鈥� designed to make the plans more palatable. She added: 鈥淓verything we鈥檝e seen since the announcement of eco-towns last summer shows the government is just making up the rules as it goes along.鈥�