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A Conservative MP has hit out at the government plans for a raft of new garden cities to help alleviate the UK鈥檚 housing crisis.

Chancellor George Osborne announced government support for a new 鈥済arden city鈥� in Ebbsfleet in this year鈥檚 Budget, and the communities department has since published a prospectus calling for local authorities to come forward with plans for major developments.

However, speaking at a fringe event hosted by the Town and Country Planning Association, Conservative MP Mark Pawsey, a member of the Commons communities select committee, hit out at the plans.

He said: 鈥淚 do want to challenge the notion that we鈥檒l suddenly get a whole load of support and goodwill from communities for garden cities in their areas.

鈥淲e saw what happened with Labour鈥檚 eco-towns, and it has been left to us to bring forward Ebbsfleet. But I would rather see garden city principles adopted to support sustainable extensions to existing places, rather than new stand alone settlements.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like the airports debate which has been put in the long grass until after the election.

鈥淚f we continue to talk about garden cities then it will just allow the planning and construction of homes we need to be delayed.鈥�

Pawsey鈥檚 comments come after new housing minister made clear the government will not take forward the plans for garden cities advocated by the winners of this year鈥檚 Wolfson Prize for economics.

Chris Tinker, executive board director at housebuilder Crest Nicholson, speaking at the same conference fringe event, said that while the firm supported the principles of garden cities, it saw no prospect of any being brought forward without major changes to the way homes were planned.

He said: 鈥淎 garden city will take at least three electoral cycles even to get adopted as a plan.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no way the private sector can do that; it has to be fronted by the public sector.

鈥淎nd when you look around at how much money is available to do that, we鈥檙e not holding our breath waiting for a lot of garden cities to come forward.鈥�

The Labour party has pledged to support a new generation of garden cities should it be elected to government.