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Do we need new homes?
Plans for thousands of new homes should be reviewed in the wake of the recession, councillors have said.
Earlier this month, the Government said planning permission must be given for about 5,000 homes at Upper Redhill, as well as plans for about 3,700 houses at Wellingborough East.
But the borough council has said it wants the timescale of its targets to be reviewed.
Councillors would like to see the review made in light of the recession and also because developers have still to put forward detailed plans for Wellingborough East.
The council's deputy leader, Paul Bell, said: "I think we have to review the whole expansion programme."
He added: "Do we need 13,000 new homes in Wellingborough?"
The council's chief executive, Lyn Martin-Bennison, said: "The housing targets that were set some years ago are unrealistic in the current economic climate.
"The timescale in which they come forward needs to be reviewed."
Andrew Longley, from the North Northants Joint Planning Unit, said the phasing of development has gone awry because of the recession.
Regional housing targets include the building of new homes from 2021 to 2026 and up to 2031.
Mr Longley said a review of these targets would have happened at this stage anyway.
He said: "We are looking at what growth is deliverable and clearly there are issues in Wellingborough as Wellingborough East hasn't come forward.
"We will have extra houses to provide beyond 2021 and there will be debate about where those houses go.
"There may be areas in north Northamptonshire which are better suited or more receptive to accommodate some of that additional housing."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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