THE Government is being urged to think again about how many homes should be built in Winchester.

The city council is leading a drive by local authorities in Hampshire to challenge the targets set by Westminster.

For example, it has called for more than 12,000 extra homes to be built in the Winchester district by 2026. However, the figure was set before the recession, and civic chiefs argue that it has been overtaken.

Cllr George Beckett, who leads the Winchester authority, told his Tory Cabinet colleagues that the targets were “unreasonable and undesirable”. He has now written to the Government to call for a re-think.

Cllr Beckett said it would now be discussed by MPs on the South East Regional Select Committee at Westminster.

The city council’s search for sites to build the 12,000 homes demanded has already caused controversy.