GOVERNMENT plans to add a further 100,000 homes to the 478,000 earmarked for the east of England have been described as completely unacceptable". The increase in homes was unveiled by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and immediately condemned. A

GOVERNMENT plans to add a further 100,000 homes to the 478,000 earmarked for the east of England have been described as "completely unacceptable". The increase in homes was unveiled by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - and immediately condemned. An increase could mean a rise in the number of homes already earmarked for North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire. At the moment housing expansion in North Herts in expected to rise by 15,800 and in South Cambridgeshire by 23,500. Cllr John Reynolds, chairman of the East of England Regional Assembly's regional planning panel, said the proposals were "completely unacceptable" and "simply not sustainable". The regional assembly has said it will be "arguing strongly" that the new homes projections should be disregarded. Herts county councillor Derrick Ashley, executive member for strategic partnerships, said: "A large percentage of the additional demand is being fuelled by an assumption that large-scale migration into the area will continue." He said, however, that such an assumption must be "questionable". "Our policy is to match jobs to housing and ensure the necessary infrastructure is provided to support housing growth, but much of this seems to be lost in the Government," he said. Cllr Ashley continued that the Government's policy seemed to be "to build the houses at any costs and worry about the consequences later". He promised that the county council would continue to fight the proposals. Meanwhile, Cllr F John Smith, leader of North Herts District Council, and a member of the regional assembly, said he was delighted that assembly's panel has taken a stand. "The assembly decided a year ago at my suggestion, that without adequate promises of correcting the infrastructure deficit the then total of 478,000 houses was unacceptable. "No real progress has been made to attack this deficit and to now add another 100,000 to the former total is adding insult to injury. "Locally, North Herts in general and Royston in particular should continue to fight against over-development.