New town 'refused planning permission'

Gordon Brown's government has vetoed plans to build 5,000 new homes in Cambridgeshire, it has been reported.

The Telegraph said communities secretary Hazel Blears turned down the plans as a result of complaints from the council but the news came as a disappointment for developers.

Christian Barber, Brookfield Europe's development manager, criticised the decision and told the newspaper that the prime minister's plan for new homes will fail.

"When Gordon Brown came to power he announced his support for eco-towns and a goal of building three million new homes by 2020. This shows a clear lack of interest to achieve that target," he said.

With the new development being cancelled and Mr Barber predicting the failure of the state's plans for new homes, people may consider the self build option rather than rely on developers to build houses.

In related news, this week the government increased the stamp duty threshold from £125,000 to £175,000 for 12 months.