Speaking at the annual conference in Glasgow, Clegg laid down the gauntlet to the Conservative party – his Coalition partners – by putting forward his ambitious solution to Britain’s housing crisis.
Clegg said the Lib Dems would guarantee the creation of ten garden cities, with five running along a proposed railway line linking Oxford and Cambridge.
The present government has already set a target to build three new garden cities by 2020.
But Clegg, promising to deliver 50,000 new homes through garden cities, warned this did not go far enough.
“Garden cities are a vital cornerstone of our plan to boost house building to 300,000 homes a year – enough to meet demand and keep prices in reach – while still protecting our precious green space and preventing urban sprawl,” he said.
“Our plan is to build a series of high quality new towns and cities where people want to live, with green space, sustainable transport and spacious homes.
“The Conservatives have held back the development of garden cities on the scale necessary, but if Liberal Democrats are part of the next government, we will ensure at least 10 get under way – with up to five along this new garden cities railway, bringing new homes and jobs to the brainbelt of south-east England.”
