Green light for green belt homes

Massive housebuilding plans for the green belt in London and the South-East were given the goahead by Tony Blair today.

In his strongest words on the issue to date, the Prime Minister said demand for new homes was so great it would be irresponsible to rule out specific tracts of land for development.

Mr Blair said at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons: "There is requirement for additional housing, and if we don't face up to decisions on that, the people who will suffer will be generations to come, particularly first-time buyers."

His remarks came in response to Tory housing shadow John Hayes, who claimed that the Government's stance on housebuilding on protected green belt land had been "evasive". Ministers are worried about an electoral backlash if they are seen to be giving the green light to concreting over beauty spots.

Labour came to power promising to protect greenfield sites and insisted that more than 80 per cent of new housing in the Thames Gateway area would be on brownfield urban sites.

Under one scheme being considered, swathes of Kent, Essex and Bedfordshire are earmarked for 200,000 new homes.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott wants 120,000 built in the Thames Gateway area. In Milton Keynes, the M11 corridor and Ashford, Kent, half could be on greenfield sites.