A ROW has broken out between an MP and a borough council about the amount of housing that is being built.

Eastleigh MP Paul Holmes has recently analysed housing figures and found that in the last three years, over 1,000 extra houses have been built in Eastleigh compared with the governments target.

Using data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Eastleigh’s Calculation of Five-Year Housing Land Supply, figures show that 3,278 houses have been built in the last three years, compared with an assessed need of 2,082.

The MP has now slammed the council for the housing, claiming that the council is “plonking” houses down without the necessary infrastructure in place.

“I completely understand that there is a housing need across the whole country, including Eastleigh. Housing is one of the most important things we need to deliver.

“The first is the motive of the local council building these houses and the second is the scale of the development that’s going in.

The MP also said he is concerned going forward as “overdevelopment” is continuing with plans for 2,500 homes in Horton Heath.”

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John Lauwerys, Chairman of Action Against Destructive Development, a campaigning group that was set up in 2016 in response to the publishing of Eastleigh Borough Council’s Local Plan claimed both the council and the government are to blame.

He said: “Every local authority has to meet the governments targets.

“Eastleigh has exceeded that and at the same time there isn’t enough of the kind of housing that local people need but one has to recognise that the amount of houses to be built is set by government.”

Eastleigh Borough Council leader, Cllr Keith House, said: “The housing industry is “boom and bust” with short burst of building then a stop during recessions.

“Eastleigh has seen 10,482 housing completions over the last 20 years and a complete housing cycle, against a government housing target of 10,161. That’s bang on target.

“We have made sure that town sites have been developed first, to reduce the need for countryside sites, and ensured infrastructure comes before and alongside homes not as an afterthought.