“It’s all well and good to want to ensure development opportunities, but unless the Government fronts with infrastructure money, councils are limited in what they can offer by ways of expansion,” says Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty.

“Labour is open to any measure that will lead to more housing and will lend support where it is likely to work, but not at the expense of building standards or loss of elite productive soil.

“There is an opportunity here, but the short-term thinking means it runs the risk of ending as a shambles. This shouldn’t be used as a way for the government to avoid difficult discussions about density or fronting up with funding.

“It may look good on paper but this announcement hasn’t been thought through, and the Government has again opened themselves up to being all talk,” Kieran McAnulty said.