More than 1,000 new homes are set to be built in the Lewes district in the next five years.

Lewes District Council has reluctantly accepted a government inspector's recommendation to allocate sites for an extra 620 houses to be built before 2006.

Councillors had originally wanted the new homes to be built gradually, allowing planners to take advantage of new brownfield sites should they become available.

They have now agreed a timescale that will mean 450 new homes on the Railway Quay site in Newhaven, 183 in Seaford and 185 in Peacehaven, all by 2006.

Other areas set for building work are Ringmer, with 115 new homes earmarked, Wivelsfield with 70 and Chailey with 40.

Room for 70 new homes has been found in Lewes itself, with Lewes House Campus and Lewes Clayhill Nurseries as the sites proposed.

District councillors met to decide their response to the report of government inspector Daphne Mair after the latest public inquiry into the Lewes District Local Plan ended in January.

The council made one major alteration to the inspector's recommendations, raising the number of extra homes to be built in Newhaven each year from 60 to 90 while shelving a development in Ringmer.

This move was attacked by Conservatives, who accused the ruling Lib Dem group of putting council taxpayers at risk of having to spend more than £100,000 for a third public inquiry.

The council agreed a package of further modifications to the Local Plan, which will now be put before the public for six weeks from tomorrow.

Replies will be considered by councillors in the autumn and the plan could be adopted by Christmas.

Council spokesman Andrew Small, Cabinet member with special responsibility for planning, said: "It has been very difficult to meet the demands of national policy in finding sites for an extra 620 homes but as far as possible we have tried to find locations on previously developed land to soften the impact.

"More and more people are living in smaller households and this means we need more houses.

"There is a need for a higher percentage of affordable homes, especially in rural areas where it has become increasingly difficult for youngsters growing up within the communities to remain in them."