High-quality housing 'more sustainable' than eco-towns

The planning system needs to be reformed in order to allow for more sustainable solutions to housing issues, it has been suggested.

Such an overhaul will allow each city, town and village to have new builds, said Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

He suggested the government's plans for eco towns are not a sustainable solution to meet housing demand.

"We think it would be better to actually reform the planning system and to allow every village, town and city to have new builds, because housing demand is not just in new settlements," Mr Berry said.

He said the FMB wants high-quality housing in all towns and villages and that this is "much more" sustainable than the new eco town settlements that are being proposed.

Meanwhile, four in ten builders polled by the National House Building Council last month said they believe zero-carbon homes will be more expensive to buy than standard properties.