The Town & Country Planning Association says the Policy Exchange report which blames planning for the country's economic decline and calls for abolition of local plans and much other planning is "an interesting contribution to the debate" - because it advocates new garden cities.
Despite the splenetic attack on planning and planners contained in Cities for Growth, the Association spared it criticism, evidently because it supported its fundamental aim - creation of new garden cities.
It called it an interesting contribution to the debate on well planned, sustainable new communities.
"Having begun as the Garden City Association and as the world's oldest charity concerned with planning, housing and the environment it should come as no surprise that we are keen to re-make the case for new communities as part of the solution to our housing crisis," said TCPA chief executive Kate Henderson.
"The Cities for Growth report is right to remind us of the fantastic places we have delivered in our past, such as Letchworth and Welwyn. Indeed, our garden cities provide some of the most desirable places to live in the UK today."
She said the Association's own recent report, Reimagining Garden Cities for the 21st Century, said the movement, which sought new, low-density developments on greenfield sites, remains relevant.
"This is why the TCPA is committed to working with communities, local councils, planners, investors and developers to explore the types of partnerships and model approaches possible through the emerging policies identified in the Government's housing strategy," she said.
But the emerging garden city coalition of ministers, garden city enthusiasts and free marketeers bears an eery resemblance to the doomed "eco town" programme of the previous government.
Once again the Government is hoping to offload remote, unwanted public sector land for new developments, supported by the TCPA and others.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England said it was awaiting further detail on proposals in the housing strategy for locally planned, large-scale development with interest.
"This idea must not be allowed to turn into another eco-towns disaster, with the environment and communities set to lose out as central government and developers force through projects in poorly thought out locations," said director of policy and campaigns, Neil Sinden.
The eco towns programme wasted tens of millions of pounds and attracted a wave of opposition.
One of the most strident opponents was the BARD Campaign which opposed the Long Marston eco town and its communications co-ordinator Hilary Bliss said the campaign, and others like it, would certainly be revived were similar proposals to be put forward.
Part of the Long Marston site is now being used for other development, but similar campaigns elsewhere may now have to dust off their files and banners.
"If something like that happened again, I'm sure we'd see the campaigns regenerate," Ms Bliss told BB.
