NO more homes should be built on greenfield sites in the North West, an all-party committee of MPs said today.

The group wants the Government to ban house construction in the countryside in regions which have lots of derelict open spaces in towns and cities.

The report from the House of Commons environment, transport and regional affairs committee follows a major row in the Ribble Valley over the huge expansion of housing estates on greenfield sites.

This has led to a shortage of school places with many pupils being bused miles to classes.

Local MP Nigel Evans has attacked Lancashire County Council for failing to plan ahead to provide the school places for the new houses and called for a ban on further building on countryside sites around Clitheroe.

Today's report will strengthen his case for such action.

The committee, in a report on the Government's integrated transport white paper, says preferred locations for new housing are those which do not require car travel. It says in some regions with a plethora of "brownfield" sites which have had industrial or commercial uses, such as the North West, North and Yorkshire and Humberside, there is no need to build homes on greenfield sites.

It goes on to say that ministers should "permit new housing to be built in rural locations only to meet local needs," and "insist that, where there has to be new housing development on greenfield sites, the great majority of it is at edge of town locations".

The report also wants to ban out of town and edge of town shopping centres and to concentrate new hospitals, schools, offices, leisure and retail developments at major public transport interchanges which can be reached by foot or bike.

Ribble Valley Council leader Howel Jones said: "None of us from the Ribble Valley want large scale housing in the area but unfortunately we do not have a lot of say in the matter.

"Housing allocations are controlled through central government and Lancashire County Council.

"The Ribble Valley's allocation is 2,400 more houses but we simply do not have the infrastructure to deal with that sort of increase.

"We would welcome responsible curbs to large scale housing developments in the Ribble Valley area."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.