One third of Labour's new eco-towns 'hijacked by supermarket giants'

At least five out of the 15 proposals for 'green' communities come from companies with a track record of developing land and selling it on to Tesco and Asda.

The towns will be the first to be built in Britain for 40 years.

'Green' community: A computer generated image of an ecotown planned at Cardenden, in Fife, Scotland. A shortlist of ten possible sites will be announced later this year and will have between 5,000 and 15,000 'low carbon' flats

The shortlist, which was announced in April, will be whittled down to ten later this year.

Campaigners said that the Government was paving the way for a new generation of 'Tescotowns'  -  the nickname given to communities dominated by a single retailer.

Each of the eco-towns will have between 5,000 and 15,000 'low carbon' flats and houses.

They will help meet Gordon Brown's target of building three million homes by 2020.

More than 60,000 people have signed petitions against the towns, arguing that their special 'green' status is simply a smokescreen for bypassing local planning laws.

Thousands are due to descend on Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire tomorrow in protest at plans for an eco-town next to a protected wildlife area.

Volley: Former tennis star Tim Henman's father Tony will lead a protest against plans for an ecotown next to a protected wildlife area in his village of Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire

The protest is being led by Tim Henman's father Tony, who lives in the village.

A national demonstration will take place in Westminster on June 30.

When the plans were announced, many assumed the eco-towns would have small, independent shops selling local produce.

However, earlier this month it emerged that the sole bidder for an eco-town at Hanley Grange near Cambridge was Tesco.

The company jointly owns land on the site with the medical charity the Wellcome Trust and wants to build 11,000 homes around a Tesco store.

Firms which have developed sites for the retailer are involved in several other potential eco-towns, including Marston near Bedford, Curborough near Lichfield in Staffordshire and Middle Quinton in Warwickshire.

In addition, the Pennbury eco-town south of Leicester is planned for land owned by the Co-op.

Friends of the Earth campaigner Paul de Zylva said: 'The last thing we need is for eco-towns to become Tesco towns.

'The Government is trying to create an image of eco-towns that are vibrant, sustainable communities, served by local shops and services.

'It doesn't really square with the idea of having a big supermarket at the heart of the community.'

Ruth Potts of the New Economic Foundation think-tank said: 'We are looking at the real beginning of the Tesco-isation of Britain.'

Tesco said it was involved only in the Cambridgeshire bid.

A spokesman added: 'If you look at the number of developments we have been involved in, the chances are we will have worked with a range of developers.

'I wouldn't read anything into it.'