HOUSE building targets for Kent and the South East fall short of what is needed and should be increased, government inspectors have recommended.

An independent report by planning inspectors says the overall targets that had been set out in the South East Plan will not be enough to satisy demand and help boost the economy.

The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) had argued that a target of 28,900 homes a year - 596,000 over 20 years - would be enough to meet demand.

But after a lengthy public inquiry that ended earlier this year, inspectors today rejected that figure and recommended an increase to 32,000 a year, meaning some 640,000 houses between now and 2026.

Although the increase is relatively modest and below the levels that developers had been pushing for, it has raised fresh concerns that green field land could be sacrificed for housing and already crowded towns face further cramming.

It will also spark renewed calls for the government to make firm commitments over the money needed for new roads, schools and other community facilities.

The increase means Kent and Medway would see 6,579 homes built each year over the lifetime of the plan - a total of 131,580 homes compared to the 127,480 Kent planners wanted to see as the county’s share of housing growth.

The impact of the increase will be felt more in some parts of the county. Inspectors suggest there should be increases in Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells and Swale but in key growth areas like Ashford and the Thames Gateway, recommend no change to the existing targets.

Ministers will now consider the inspectors’ report and could use their powers to increase still further the house-building targets.

The report concluded that in agreeing the original figures, too much weight had been given to the views of residents concerned about development and too little to "demographic and economic factors."

The chairman of SEERA, Cllr Kevin Mitchell (Con) said: "Infrastructure costing £89billion was central to our original plans to make sure new homes have good transport, schools, parks and water supplies but obviously that bill will rise to met demand from extra homes and deliver much more affordable housing."