Housing Top Of Browns Agenda

Gordon Brown has put affordable housing at the top of his Government's agenda by announcing plans to build three million new homes by 2020. He told MPs that the number of new homes to be provided each year would be raised by 40,000 to 240,000 a year. He included three housing Bills as he broke with tradition by issuing a draft Queen's Speech for his first full parliamentary session as Prime Minister starting on 6 November.

Outlining housing and planning bills, he said: "Putting affordable housing within the reach not just of the few but the many is vital both to meeting individual aspirations and a better future for our country."

Up to 100,000 homes could be built on around 550 surplus sites owned by arms of central government such as the Ministry of Defence and the NHS, Mr Brown said.

In total, three million new homes would be built by 2020 - up 250,000 from the previous plan, he said.The annual target would be raised from 200,000 to 240,000 new homes in England from 2016.There would also be a regime on "covered bonds" to help mortgage lenders finance 20 to 25-year fixed-rate mortgages.

On Tuesday, Communities Minister Hazel Blears said house building took "priority" over environmental concerns and said she could not given "categoric assurances" about redrawing the green belt.The Conservatives said this had "raised the prospect of the government systematically concreting over" it.But Mr Brown told MPs disused "brownfield" sites would be used for the expanded building programme.