A huge house building programme is planned

The environmental audit committee says John Prescott's department, which deals with planning and regeneration, is "sadly lacking" in ambitious thinking.

The MPs said the government's housing plans seemed to ignore the need to put in place support infrastructure first.

But ministers said there was "huge progress" being made in this area.

Committee chairman Tim Yeo said they recognised the need to meet the housing crisis with new homes, but they were worried the environmental impact was not a high enough priority.

The idea the government is going slow on infrastructure or the environment is absurd Yvette Cooper Housing and Planning Minister

There is "a fundamental lack of urgency in the government's approach to ensuring that new housing and new communities are truly sustainable", he said.

"What we find reprehensible is the clear signal from government that it really does not matter that these homes are going to be built before supporting infrastructure is in place."

The committee said members were "deeply worried" about the ability of the South East to cope with increased water demands as a result of the government's plan to build 200,000 new homes per year by 2016.

They also urge the Treasury to revise the current VAT rules over new-build and refurbished homes built to high environmental standards.

And while the minimum standards of energy and water efficiency set down in the Code for Sustainable Homes were welcomed, members demanded more detail on what those standards would be.

Wind turbines

But Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper said it was absurd to suggest the government was "going slow" on infrastructure or the environment.

"We are increasing energy efficiency in new homes by 40% this April and investing billions already in the Thames Gateway and other areas to support new homes.

"I welcome the fact that the committee has now recognised the pressing case for building new homes.

"But their report simply does not reflect the substantial progress that is being made on infrastructure investment and environmental improvements."

She said the government had invested �6bn in transport, health and education in the Thames Gateway, and �3.5bn in transport infrastructure in four needy areas.

And �50m had been spent on the installation of microgeneration technologies like wind turbines for social housing and other buildings to improve the sustainability of development.