by Helen Geraghty

A leading Kent housing developer says new plans to relax rules on developments having to include affordable housing are "a positive move".

The government has announced that it will consult on relaxing the rules as part of a review on planning aimed at boosting the building industry and the economy

Under the government's proposals, house builders could ask to change requirements on them to provide affordable housing if it was "commercially unviable".

A spokesman for Maidstone-based developer Hillreed Homes said: "We support this proposal as a positive move.

"There is no doubt that some developments are held up because of the current affordable homes requirements, which tied in with agreements that require us to provide infrastructure and local amenities, can make schemes simply too expensive to develop and end up stalling the whole process."

The company stressed that it recognised that there was a very real need for affordable housing.

And Sue Taylor, new homes director at Maidstone-based RPC Land & New Homes, who sell residential land and new homes, said: "

We believe it will be a positive action on the face of it, but need to understand the detailing, which will be released by the government over the next few months.

"Any positive news can only be good to new homes sales and property developers".

Other measures also being considered are a relaxation of planning laws on conservatories and some extensions.

Labour has said that the proposals do not address the real problems of lack of confidence in the economy.