Michael Gove has been slapped down by No 10 for saying that hitting an “arbitrary” housebuilding target was less important than ensuring local residents welcome new development.
Downing Street insisted Boris Johnson was committed to building 300,000 homes a year after the housing secretary suggested the government’s target was leading to resentment among residents who saw ugly developments “plonked down” in their neighbourhoods.
But architects, councils and countryside campaigners have warned that Gove’s plan for street votes on development was “dangerously narrow” and would make housing even less affordable.
