DORSET’S green belt could be under threat from development because of moves to generate more housing, it is feared.

The government is expected to encourage taller buildings and more underground car parks at the same time as forcing councils to come up with more ambitious house-building targets.

Critics fear there will also be less protection of the green belt. Some are concerned that the current proposals for powerful new councils across Dorset will lead to more development in Christchurch, Poole and East Dorset.

Christchurch’s Conservative MP Chris Chope, who has criticised the proposed “super-council” covering Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, said: “Christchurch and East Dorset have a joint local plan which has got sufficient provision for housing at the moment. Bournemouth and Poole say that they haven’t got enough and that’s why they’re keen to take control of our green belt.”

He said Bournemouth seemed keen to develop other areas rather than its own brownfield sites.

“For example, if they had this new unitary authority, they could decide that they would like to have a great housing estate at the airport and no local people would be able to do anything about it,” he said.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Phil Eades, a former chairman of Poole’s planning committee, said Poole should look at taller buildings along main corridor routes such as Bournemouth Road and Lindsay Road.

He said there was a “desperate need” for housing in the town but it was not necessary to develop the green belt.

“The first thing we should do is get the power station site built on. It’s our number one regeneration site. I’ve pushed for many years for the council even to just threaten to compulsorily purchase it,” he said.

“We shouldn’t be building on the green belt if we’ve got derelict land in our town centre which is highly suitable.”

He feared a new council covering the whole conurbation would instead direct development towards areas such as Merley and Bearwood.

Cllr Bob Lawton, Bournemouth council’s cabinet member for housing, denied that the council wanted to see more development in neighbouring towns.

“We’ve got a reasonable house building programme within Bournemouth but I can categorically say I have no plans at all for Christchurch or Poole,” he said.

He said the government was keen to see councils building more homes, including those for shared ownership.

Bournemouth was interested in the idea of “modular” homes which are assembled on site, cutting the amount of time taken for construction.

“Since we came to power in 2007, we’ve accelerated our housebuilding programme. We were one of the first councils in the country to start building council houses again and we’ve built over 200, which is a considerable number for a relatively small unitary,” he added.

A report this week said the high cost of housing meant the average Poole worker would need a 212 per cent pay rise to buy the average home, while the figure in Christchurch was 197 per cent.