Regional planners have attacked John Prescott for giving the go-ahead for almost 200,000 new homes in the South-East over the next five years.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced last week the region would have to find room for 39,000 new homes a year for the next five years - 6,000 a year more than councils wanted.

East Sussex and West Sussex will have to build 5,180 homes a year to meet the new targets.

The South East England Regional Assembly said publication of the delayed planning rules was welcome, as was the ability to revise the figures during the plan's lifetime.

But Nick Skellet, chairman of the assembly's planning committee, said the figures ignored complaints from councils that the targets were too high.

He said: "The Government appears to have ignored problems arising from the consultation on housing allocations.

"Several counties have demonstrated that their allocations are environmentally and economically unsustainable but the Government has not responded to them properly."

Protesters fear greenfield sites will be swallowed up by new homes because of the number proposed. The new figures are lower than earlier advice which said 43,000 homes a year would be needed in the South-East.