The coalition has scrapped another piece of Labour policy which caused considerable dismay in rural areas by forcing local authorities to allow large-scale housing developments in the face of opposition from local residents.

Labour’s Regional Spatial Strategy forced planners in areas like the Yorkshire Dales to take into account the needs of major cities like Leeds and Bradford, which would have meant the building of hundreds of new homes in already crowded market towns like Skipton.

Such plans were massively unpopular, and hundreds of angry locals attended protest meetings, but Craven District Council officials said they had no choice but to follow Government dictates.

The policy was scrapped yesterday by Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government secretary, a move which drew praise from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Fiona Howie, Head of Planning for CPRE, commented: “There will not be many tears shed following the scrapping of top down housing targets. In recent years regional plans have too often been misused to impose unrealistically high housing targets on local communities, resulting in frustration and loss of green field sites.

“However, the abandonment of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) will leave a worrying gap. Strategic planning has helped ensure local authorities make consistent decisions on development across their boundaries, including affordable housing, public transport and waste provision.

“These developments need a high level of cross authority working and the Government will need to outline a credible alternative to fill this void.”