YATE has been earmarked for thousands of new homes as part of a massive housing boom for the South West unveiled this week.

An independent panel working on behalf of the government has recommended that 5,000 homes should be built on the outskirts of the town before 2026.

The panel's report suggests the houses could be built on a corridor of green belt land to the north of Yate between the railway line and the B4060.

It would form part of the report's 30,800 house building programme over the next two decades for South Gloucestershire.

The panel, which worked from last year's Draft Regional Spatial Strategy, includes members of the South West Assembly, Government Office for the South West, South West Regional Development Agency and South Gloucestershire Council.

In its report it says Yate is suitable for 5,000 homes because the town is: -well linked by public transport facilities including bus and rail services -well served in terms of education, shopping and leisure facilities and employment opportunities -attractive to commercial and business investors -a sustainable location for the housing Northavon MP Steve Webb has reacted angrily to the housing proposals for Yate.

The Yate-based MP has launched an action group and hopes to raise questions over the panel's report directly to Secretary of State for Communities Hazel Blears during an upcoming parliamentary session.

He said: "I'm stunned by the report. How can the panel suggest that Yate could cope with new development on anything like the scale proposed?

"The volume of traffic alone generated by 5,000 new houses would swamp the town and cause gridlock.

"Building on this scale would ruin the local environment and fundamentally change the character of the area."

Yate Town councillor Chris Willmore added: "The report is a complete bolt out of the blue. We accept Yate needs to take on more houses, 1,000 perhaps, but not 5,000. I'm flabbergasted by it.

"Putting this many houses north of the town will take it up to Wickwar and turn the town into an odd L shape'.

"We are talking about more than 10,000 cars and 15,000 people in our town here.

"Its horrible news for Yate and we must fight against it."

Marilyn Palmer, chairman of the South Gloucestershire Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said: "The continued integrity of the Green Belt is critical and its value to both city and country dwellers should not be underestimated.

"We recognise the need for more affordable homes but the scale of development proposed will have huge implications for infrastructure and the environment."

The Secretary of State is to consider the report before publishing a final version of the Regional Spatial Strategy in autumn this year.