HIGHER housing targets placed on Bracknell will help with the delivery of social and affordable homes, according to Bracknell's MP.

Labour's Peter Swallow said that as 1,700 families are waiting for social housing in the borough, he will 'never apologise' for wanting to build more homes.

The Labour government has demanded Bracknell to build 200 more homes per year in a bid to deliver 1.5 million houses across the country by 2029. Targets have increased from 563 homes per year to 767.

While targets have been approved by some as positive to help boost social and affordable homes, others have expressed concern of overdevelopment of the area.

When asked about this divide, the Labour MP for Bracknell said that he had knocked on ‘thousands’ of doors during the election campaign, speaking to people who were ‘living in overcrowded accommodation, or that their children couldn’t get on the housing ladder’.

Mr Swallow explained: “We do have a crisis of social and affordable housing across the country, but also here.

“So, if you’re question is ‘do we have a housing emergency and do we need to build social homes’, then my answer is yes.”

But he added that alongside delivering homes, it was equally important to have the infrastructure alongside it including roads, schools and GP surgeries.

The MP continued: “That’s really important as well. But I will never apologise for wanting to see more social housing and affordable housing.”

Like many Berkshire authorities, Bracknell Forest often receives objections to large housing applications from residents worried about the impact developments will have on more rural areas.

According to Bracknell Forest Council’s local plan, a key document which outlines suitable sites for development in the borough, all housing developments must be comprised of 35 per cent affordable housing.

Environmental charity Campaign to Protect Rural England warned last month that housebuilding targets across Berkshire were ‘excessive and unsustainable’, and that it would produce negative consequences for access to green spaces.

Addressing this, Mr Swallow said that ‘there is a balance, and we have to try and get the balance right as best as we can’. He argued that the need for green spaces and the need for more houses ‘don’t have to necessarily always be competing’.

Bracknell Forest Councillor Guy Gillbe said shortly after the announcement of higher targets that it was ‘positive’ that the government is prioritising getting people onto the housing ladder.

The housing targets are not set in stone and will be subject to a consultation with local authorities.