A SCHEME to build a new town stretching from Medway to Swanley is not just pie in the sky, the man behind the plan insists.

Designer and consultant Stephen Scrivens placed a full-page advertisement in Monday's Times newspaper outlining his idea for half a million new homes between Cliffe and Dartford, bordered by the River Medway to the north and the North Downs to the south.

The advertisement, believed to cost in the region of £15,000, caused confusion when it first appeared in the newspaper, with councils in Kent being unaware of its source.

The address given for Our World 2002 - the banner company for the project - sparked speculation it was an official government announcement as it coincidentally shares the same road in Guildford, Surrey, as the Government Offices for the South East.

Mr Scrivens said the plan did not have any official backing, but was merely a suggestion he hoped would gather support from the public and politicians. He said: "It's a completely altruistic act. I don't stand to make any money out of this.

"I've been in the building industry for years and congestion and lack of housing is something I believe is a huge problem in this country."

Mr Scrivens' scheme includes plans to upgrade the railway service to and from London for the new population. He said: "Houses need to be built but there's no point putting them all over the place as the workforce has to be able to get to London in good time. I'm sure thousands of people in North Kent will object to it, but hundreds of thousands of people elsewhere will be in favour."

Now Mr Scrivens, director of Longfield-based Technical Landscapes, is hoping to set up meetings with landowners and developers in North Kent on the back of his ad. He insisted the majority of feedback from the public has been positive.

Cllr Alan Jarrett, deputy leader of Medway Council, said he was not overly impressed with the plan. He said: "If you asked anyone in North Kent whether we need more houses, they would say we are overcrowded enough.

"There are streets and streets of houses standing empty in the north of the country, but the government seems to want to turn greenfield sites in the south into houses.

"And as long as the government is sending out this message, you are going to get individuals like this following suit and coming up with plans like this."