A DEMAND for 200 more homes to be built each year is Bracknell has been branded 'a positive' move from the Labour government.

Bracknell FC has been ordered to ensure the hundreds of homes are built - an addition of 204 on the previous target - as part of the government's delivery of 1.5 million homes in the next five years.

In response, the council leader in Bracknell has said its great for people wanting to get on the property ladder.

Cllr Guy Gillbe, executive member for planning, transport and countryside from Bracknell Forest Council said: “The Council is currently reviewing the various government announcements related to the planning process and the delivery of new affordable housing in the Borough.

This includes the methodology for calculating housing numbers for the local area.”

Minister for Housing Angela Rayner announced that the government are bringing back mandatory housing targets for local authorities, the majority of which have seen a large increase.

In Bracknell, the target has increased from 563 per year to 767.

Across Berkshire, Wokingham must build 500 more homes a year, while West Berkshire’s target has almost doubled.

Targets across England have jumped from 370,000 from the ‘watered down’ 305,000 targets set by the former conservative government.

The Labour member continued: “It is positive to see that the government is prioritising the needs of those who want to get on to the housing ladder.”

Minister for Housing Angela Rayner said that although the plans ‘won’t be without controversy’ she was ‘personally proud’ of new flexibilities for councils which will ‘boost the number of social and affordable homes’.

Cllr Gillbe said that officers were in the process of considering the ‘implications’ of proposed changes to the planning system.

He said he will be responding on behalf of the Council to the government in September, before the consultation ends.

This comes as the fate of nearly 200 houses to be built in Bracknell will be decided by the council’s planning committee next week.

It is not yet known how the new targets will affect the town’s local plan, the document that sets out the key developments for the area.

Bracknell Forest’s local plan says it ‘seeks to promote sustainable and inclusive housing growth to meet future needs’.

The housing strategy for 2023-2028 sets out four priorities for the borough. These are to prevent homelessness; deliver new homes in sustainable communities that meet the needs of local residents; making the best use of existing homes; and providing a range of housing options for people with care and support needs.