Questioned by MPs about his new home plans, John Prescott said private companies would not help fund new homes if key infrastructure was not put in place too.

Plans for new growth areas to tackle housing shortages in the South East have prompted local fears, but ministers said "no corners will be cut" on public consultation.

Mr Prescott said it would be "stupid" to put a firm date on the start of new developments before making key decisions about the infrastructure.

Growth areas

The government this month unveiled plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes in south-east England to tackle a severe shortage of affordable homes.

In the South East, the new homes in Mr Prescott's "sustainable communities plan" are to be spread across key "growth areas".

These are the "Milton Keynes quadrangle" of Bedford, Milton Keynes, Corby and Northampton; the London-Stansted/Cambridge M11 corridor; Ashford in Kent; and the "East Thames Gateway", including east London, north Kent and south Essex.

Green belt - I'm black belt myself John Prescott

Mr Prescott and Housing Minister Lord Rooker told the committee new water supply was needed before investment in Thurrock.

No decisions had yet been taken on where to site new river crossings over the Thames, said Lord Rooker.

Mr Prescott said the Docklands Light Railway would need to be extended if land in Barking was to be developed.

He said he could not say when he could deliver a timetable for the projects.

"I might like to say it will happen tomorrow, but I would be stupid to put my head on the block," he continued.

'Not daft'

Buckingham MP John Bercow pressed Mr Prescott to guarantee that ministers would not impose new house building plans if they realised the infrastructure was lagging behind.

The Tory MP said people in Milton Keynes, where 59,000 homes are planned by 2031, were frightened of poorer air quality, worse traffic and overcrowding in schools and hospitals.

Asked for reassurance, Mr Prescott said: "The private sector is not going to invest unless we put the infrastructure in. They are not daft."

Prescott's plans: 2003-2031 London-Cambridge-M11 corridor: Between 250,000 and 500,000 new homes Milton Keynes: Up to 300,000 new homes Thames Gateway: Up to 40,000 new homes Ashford: Up to 31,000 new homes

The government plans to build 60% of new housing on brownfield sites, but there are still fears "green belt" land could be lost.

But Lord Rooker said: "A lot of green belt is real rubbish."

He argued there was no connection between green belts and areas of outstanding natural beauty on maps.

And people too often thought green fields and green belt were the same thing.

The housing minister said new green sites could be "built" into new developments, such as the Thames Gateway.

To laughter, Mr Prescott joked: "Green belt, I'm black belt myself."

Cheaper housing

The lack of affordable housing in the South-East is seen as a blow to efforts to recruit more public service workers.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he wants half of new housing to be affordable.

Mr Prescott said meeting such a target would depend on the areas concerned.

But he suggested the level of affordable housing was being reviewed and it could be "far better" than the 25% affordable housing built at the Millennium Village in Greenwich.