Campaigners fighting the controversial Pennbury eco-town proposal will take petitions with nearly 15,000 signatures to Downing Street.

The Government is expected to announce whether Pennbury can go ahead before Parliament finishes for the summer on July 21.

Members of the Campaign Against the Stoughton Co-op Eco-town group (Cascet) hope to persuade the Government to drop plans to allow between 12,000 and 15,000 homes to be built on 1,500 acres of land south-east of Leicester.

The delegation will travel to Westminster on Thursday, July 16, to hand in a petition signed by 11,100 people and present an on-line petition backed by 3,853 campaigners.

Both the campaign group, and the Co-op and English Partnerships, who are proposing the development, have been told the Government is set to announce whether Pennbury can proceed before the summer parliamentary recess on July 21.

County councillor and Cascet chairman Dr Kevin Feltham said it was the perfect time to hand over the petitions.

He said: "That we are just shy of 15,000 people against the eco-town idea proves the massive level of public concern about Pennbury as an eco-town location.

"It is the case that many people may have signed both petitions but the numbers are still strong.

"If Pennbury does make it on to the list of approved schemes we will have a big fight on our hands still, but we hope it will be dropped.

"Cascet has always maintained the location is wrong because of limited transport infrastructure and employment prospects, and this has been supported by evidence collected by the county council.

"We now have a strong indication that Government ministers will announce whether any of the 11 remaining eco-town locations meet the exacting eco-town standards before Parliament rises for the summer recess on July 21.

"This huge number of signatures shows the depth of local opposition to the proposals by the Co-op, and why the Government should definitely not choose this site as one of the exemplar eco-towns."

Harborough MP Edward Garnier will be part of the six-strong group travelling to Downing Street. He is also hoping to meet housing minister John Healy, along with fellow county MPs Alan Duncan, Keith Vaz and Peter Soulsby.

Mr Garnier said: "We have now had four or five different housing ministers throughout the period where Pennbury has been a consideration. I will be again making the case against Pennbury which is a silly idea."

Cascet's Oadby representative Anne Bond helped collect the signatures. She said: "It has not been difficult to get people's backing. Pennbury is an appalling idea."

A Government spokesman confirmed the 11 eco-town proposals would be cut to a final 10 before July 21.

A Co-op spokesman said Pennbury would provide environmentally efficient homes.

He said: "With these petitions having started almost a year before our plans were published, some residents have clearly been opposed in principle to any development in this area, irrespective of the wider benefits that our scheme would bring.

"We believe that all people should have the right to be able to choose between all the possible options for housing and investment through the normal planning process.

"Cascet does not want local people to have that choice, wants to stop sustainable development and wants to shut down the debate before the majority of local people have the chance to be heard."