THE biggest house-building boom in a generation is about to be foisted on rural areas and market towns by Government dictat, according to media reports leaked at the weekend.

Gordon Brown is said to be ready to sweep away existing planning controls that protect the rural environment in a last ditch attempt to build three million new houses by 2020, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

Details are likely to be announced this week and are certain to cause concern in the Yorkshire Dales, where many villagers already feel that their local communities are being disrupted by large-scale house building.

And in Skipton, where there have already been massive protests from council tax payers against proposed expansion, it is likely to cause uproar. Skipton is believed to be one of 16,000 small towns and villages in England which have been targeted for expansion.

The three million target is already the subject of fierce controversy. Opponents claim that a large number of those homes are needed because of the uncontrolled influx of immigrants, largely unchecked since Labour came to power 12 years ago.