A VOW by the government to take on "Nimbys" has sparked fresh fears that Kent’s countryside will face yet more pressure from developers.

Ruth Kelly, the new Communities and Local Government minister, said she was determined to root out ‘Nimbys’ - the ‘Not-in-my-backyard’ tendency. She says building more affordable homes is a priority.

She also hinted at a shake-up in the planning system that could make it easier to build new homes.

But her comments were promptly denounced as "unhelpful and not constructive" by the Kent branch of the CPRE - the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

In her first interview on the issue, Mrs Kelly said there should be a greater emphasis on "increasing housing supply." She said: "That may mean...changing the planning regulations to make sure that more housing comes forward.

"It also means changing the social culture in this country where too often the case has been that people have been protective of their own space and not wanted to see more affordable housing being built. That is something we really have to root out."

Ashford and north Kent have both been earmarked for a huge expansion of house-building under government plans and have alarmed those who fear huge swathes of green belt land could be swallowed up by development.

Kent CPRE director Dr Hilary Newport said: "These comments are neither constructive or grown-up. The planning system has helped this country resist the urban sprawl that we have seen in north America. We need affordable homes in the south east but it needs to be done through a programme of regeneration, not by allowing developers to let rip wherever they choose."

Ashford Conservative MP Damian Green said: "The danger is that we will have a minister that does not care about John Prescott’s priorities so will leave Ashford with the same number of houses but without putting the investment in."