Ministers have dismissed a legal ruling that says the government acted unlawfully when it scrapped hugely-controversial housing targets for Kent.

A judge has ruled that communities secretary Eric Pickles had acted outside his powers when revoking The South East Plan earlier this year.

Under the plan, which was signed off by the previous government before the election, Kent and Medway were expected to see close to 7,000 homes built each year as their allocation of the annual regional target of 32,700.

But the coalition government announced in May these targets were being abandoned and told councils they need no longer consider them when determining development applications.

Today’s legal ruling has triggered confusion with some claiming it means the South East Plan is, at least for the time being, the official blueprint for the region.

But the government has insisted the ruling changes nothing.

Communities and local government minister Bob Neill said: "This judgement changes very little.

"Later this month we will be introducing the Localism Bill to Parliament, which will sweep away the controversial regional strategies.

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"Top-down targets don’t build homes – they’ve led to the lowest peacetime house-building rates since 1924."

He added: "The Government remains firmly resolved to scrap this layer of confusing red tape.

"Instead, we will work with local communities to build more homes. This was a commitment made in the Coalition Agreement and in the general election manifestos of both coalition parties.

"We intend to deliver on it."

Sean Furey, of the Kent CPRE (Campaign for The Protection of Rural England) said: "This makes an already confusing situation even more confusing."

The ruling follows a legal challenge mounted by Cala Homes, a south east developer.