DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has been blamed for bulldozing through government housing plans which have resulted in Berkeley being saddled with the likelihood that 300 more houses will be built in the parish.

Berkeley residents were dismayed by Stroud District Council cabinet's decision last Thursday not to opposed suggested changes to the draft local plan which would permit the construction of the extra houses.

At Thursday's meeting the SDC cabinet recommended that modifications to the Local Plan, including the Berkeley proposals, should be adopted.

Jean Stanton, from campaign group ABRAID (Association of Berkeley Residents Against Insensitive Development), told the Gazette: "We were hoping that the cabinet would have had more courage and questioned the recommendations at this stage, but they have just passed the buck.

"If the council has to make some changes to the proposals it would be better to do it soon rather than at the last minute."

At the cabinet meeting, the member for planning, Cllr Barbara Tait (Con, Painswick), pointed the finger of blame at the Labour government for effectively forcing the controversial plans upon the council.

Government targets mean that 9,400 new homes must be built in the district during this planning period.

Cllr Tait said: "We have been put squarely between a rock and a hard place and also in a no-win situation.

"John Prescott puts little value on our countryside and would like to see our green fields covered in housing.

"He has two Jags and I strongly believe he also has a large bulldozer."

However, when Cllr John Fowles (Lab, Cam West) asked Cllr Tait to explain the difference between the current government's policy and that of the previous Conservative government she admitted that there was no difference.

Cllr Tait proposed that the modifications were recommended to full council and that they would be put out for public consultation in due course.

Opposition members were unhappy that the cabinet seemed to be making no attempt to judge whether the modifications were right or wrong.

Both Cllr Janet Wood (Ind, Coaley and Uley) and Cllr Martin Whiteside (Green, Thrupp) asked why they were not giving consideration to other possible ways forward.

Cllr Hilary Fowles (Lab, Dursley) told the cabinet, to applause from the public gallery, that she thought that they were railroading the plans through.

SDC chief executive David Hagg, however, made it clear that there was no done deal. "Cabinet does not have the ability to make the decision," he said. "That is reserved for the full council."