The government has thrown out housing targets set by the Yorkshire and Humber regional assembly, and called for the figure to be raised by almost 50%.

In December 2005 the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly proposed building 15,160 homes in the region. The government has now announced it wants to see 22,140 each year.

The proposals have been met by criticism from countryside campaigners, who claim that green-belt land will be put at risk.

Gill Stride, policy officer for Yorkshire and the Humber at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “They say they want brownfield sites used first and have recently reaffirmed support for the green belt.

“But if the hike in housing numbers is pushed through, these objectives will be fatally undermined, giving way to another wave of urban sprawl, long-distance commuting and congestion.”

The government’s intervention comes after its plan for 3 million homes by 2020 was dealt a blow last month after inspectors failed to back its housebuilding target for the South-east.

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