ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners say they are alarmed at government plans that could force Kent councils to release more land to developers in areas where house prices are high.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has unveiled proposals that would mean planners would have to take account of house prices and other market information when deciding how many homes should be built.

The proposals also include compelling councils to plan house-building 15 years ahead, with a rolling five-year supply of appropriate land and reviewing regional house-building targets if the market overheated or slowed down.

Ashford MP Damian Green slammed the idea.

He said: "It is completely wrong-headed and would prove an absolute environmental disaster.

"It is particularly ironic that at a time of hosepipe bans, which should be reminding people that Kent is very short of water, we are talking about building hundreds of thousands of homes that will make water shortages even worse."

He accused Mr Prescott of manouvering to get round opposition to the Government's house-building targets, particularly among Kent local authorities.

The plans, unveiled this week, come just days after members of the South East England Regional Assembly rejected a plan for 36,000 homes to be built in the region each year.

Instead, SEERA opted for a lower figure of 28,500.

Mr Prescott defended his plans, saying they would help would-be house buyers in places earmarked for significant housing growth, like Ashford and north Kent.

He said: "For decades, this country has built too few homes, with the result that too many people on moderate incomes can’t afford a home.

"These proposals will mean the planning system can respond faster to the housing market and local needs so more homes can be built where they are needed."

But the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) weighed in to complain that "replacing public policy with market forces would rip the heart out of planning and mark a return to the bad old days of greenfield sprawl".

A recent report indicated that spiralling house prices in Kent were making it almost impossible for teachers, nurses and other public sector workers to get a foot on the housing ladder.

In Maidstone, the average price of a house (£222,558) is nine times the average nurse’s income and in Ashford, where the average price of a house is £201,289, it is eight times a nurse’s salary.