EIGHT homes will have to be built every day for the next 15 years to catch up with the need for housing in and around Nottingham.
Swathes of green field land will be used to accommodate thousands of houses in Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe as 41,850 homes are built according to housing plans.
The blueprints for future development are currently being signed off by councils – as the county looks set to see a boom in house building between now and 2028.
David Watts, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Broxtowe Borough Council, said the plans were "ambitious" but achievable.
He added: "In Broxtowe, we have gone through every piece of brownfield land but we cannot fit the space for 6,150 homes on the brownfield land.
"If we could, we would. As I'm sure other places would look at brownfield land first.
"But we need more homes and by agreeing to sacrifice two per cent of the green belt in Broxtowe, we effectively protect the remaining 98 per cent."
But Bettina Lange, who represents the Notts Campaign to Protect Rural England, said she felt the housing targets were "unrealistic".
She added: "The way we are going about this is all wrong.
"Councils should monitor uptake over years because the way people live may change over the next 15 years.
"People may prefer to live with other people and students may choose to live differently in the wake of higher tuition fees.
"It also seems to ignore where housing is most needed – developers may prefer four-bedroom executive homes, but we need more affordable and rented housing."
Meanwhile, charity Shelter has said that it's important steps are taken to deal with the issue of housing.
Chief executive Campbell Robb said: "A whole generation of young people are working hard and saving hard, but our desperate shortage of affordable homes still leaves them priced out."
They are calling for the Government to build 100,000 homes per year across the country to plug the gap in the housing market.
But locally there is concern about the impact of such large numbers of homes will have in the areas they have been proposed.
Zoe Cockcroft, chairman of Stapleford and Trowell Rural Action Group, has been fighting plans for a 450-home development on Field Farm, Stapleford, since they were first revealed.
She said: "I understand there is a need for more housing, but they have to look at brownfield sites first rather than the precious green belt.
"If you start building on green fields like Field Farm, there will be no gaps between towns."
What do you think about development on greenbelt land? Email opinion@nottinghampost.com
