Deputy prime minister John Prescott is planning another 140,000 homes in the south of England. The houses, to be built in the Solent Gateway area between Southampton and Portsmouth, come on top of 200,000 homes proposed for the Thames Gateway area. The ODPM is currently in talks with local authorities on south coast. An ODPM spokesman said: “It is up to local and regional planning authorities to decide how much housing they need but we accept there is a need for extra housing in the region. It is just a question of where. We are just at the discussion stage but we are very positive about the area.” (Telegraph)