David Cameron is stalling plans for new wave of 鈥榞arden cities鈥 to avoid backlash from 鈥榥imby鈥 protestors in the lead up to the 2015 general election

David Cameron construction

David Cameron has dropped his support for a new generation of 鈥榞arden cities鈥 for fear of sparking a backlash from 鈥榥imby鈥 protestors in the lead up to the 2015 general election, according to the Financial Times.

The prime minister first floated the idea for a new generation of garden cities in early 2012, then in November of that year the deputy prime minster promised the government would offer incentives for the creation of imaginative new developments, with the government commiting to create 鈥済arden cities and suburbs for the 21st century鈥.

At the time, Nick Clegg argued that the UK must 鈥渂uild its way out鈥 of a housing crisis, insisting that it was no longer good enough to think of small-scale developments on the edge of towns.

However, more than a year after Clegg鈥檚 commitment little progress has been made, with a long-awaited paper on the proposals yet to emerge.

According to the Financial Times, the prime minister is reluctant to press ahead with detailed proposals for new garden cities for fear of prompting a backlash in the run-up to the 2015 general election.

The FT said that, according to one Downing Street official, Cameron had forbidden ministers from identifying any sites for potential new towns during this parliament.

A Conservative spokesman told the FT that the party did not 鈥渞ecognise any of this鈥.