NEW planning rules which set out to encourage more 'social housing' in areas of high house prices could unbalance Tidworth, it has been suggested.

Kennet housing officer Ed White told members of the south east Kennet forum that the new rules meant that housing developers had to provide 50 per cent 'affordable' housing in schemes of more than 25 properties in urban areas.

Tidworth and Ludgershall, however, already have a high degree of social housing and many have argued that what is needed most is a much greater number of owner-occupiers.

"There is a possible imbalance of housing in Tidworth but I think there is a way around it," said Mr White.

"Affordable housing can be provided by way of joint equity whereby the tenant buys up to 80 per cent of the equity in the property.

"There is also low cost market housing."

Under both types of tenure it might be considered desirable to restrict the rights of those who take up such tenures, either by limiting the amount of the property a tenant can own or by restricting the sale of such properties to those on low income and with local connections.

Cllr Humphrey Jones said he had seen surveys of the civilian housing in Tidworth.

There are 1,000 civilian houses of which 400 are 'affordable' but only nine are 'shared ownership'.