Housebuilding targets for St Albans could be set to increase from 885 to 1,554 per year under government proposals revealed earlier this week (July 30).

In recent years the city has built an average of just 411 homes per year - well short of the current target.

Following last month's General Election, the newly-elected government has been on a mission to boost housebuilding across the country.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner confirmed on Tuesday that Labour would be bringing back the mandatory housing targets scrapped under the Conservative government last December.

She argues that the government have a "moral imperative" to build more homes.

The new target could force a rethink of the long awaited St Albans Local Plan, currently set to go out to the public in the autumn.

Housebuilding projects in St Albans district are often met with strong opposition by campaigners who fear the potential damage to the Green Belt.

St Albans MP Daisy Cooper has long been an opponent of mandatory housing targets, voicing her dissent when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans for their return in the wake of the election.

Reacting to this latest announcement, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader told this newspaper: "I was a long standing critic of the former Conservative government's top-down planning system on the basis that it gave us the worst of all worlds: it didn't deliver the homes that we need, it didn't deliver the infrastructure and it didn't protect the Green Belt either. 

"At first glance, the Labour government proposals appear to have a big focus on increasing the number of affordable homes for sale or rent, but within that, it fails to adopt a specific target to deliver the social homes we need to put an end to homelessness, overcrowding and years-long housing register waiting lists. 

"Top-down targets are not only here to stay but are going to be increased significantly - perhaps by up to 75 per cent here in St Albans - though it's not clear whether there will be any protections or exemptions for green belt land."

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Following the election, St Albans City and District Council Leader Cllr Paul de Kort appeared to warn against a re-introduction of government mandated targets, saying: "It is far better if locally-elected representatives decide on the details of our Local Plan rather than Whitehall which will not have a feel for the area. It is also vital that we establish an effective defence against piecemeal development proposals which do not meet the needs of our local communities."

Ms Cooper, re-elected last month with an increased majority, added that she will now take a few weeks to scrutinise the proposals in detail and promised to challenge the government "robustly" if their plans "fail" St Albans.

A government consultation on the plans is now under way.