Winchester councillors have had yet another think about where they might put 2,000 new homes.

Following assessment of six areas north of Winchester; then a focus on the Barton Farm vicinity directly north of the city; then on a combination of Littleton and Barton Farm; then back to Barton Farm--excluding Headbourne Worthy, Tuesday's cabinet meeting decided to go back to square one.

They're looking again at the six-area option after the ruling Liberal-Democrat group won a 5-3 vote that brought tongue-lashings from their political opponents.

The areas are Littleton, South Wonston, Worthy Down, Barton Farm, Kings Worthy and land to the east of Headbourne Worthy.

Strategic authorities, the county council and Southampton and Portsmouth city councils, are telling Winchester to find a reserve site for a percentage of the 14,000 new homes that may be required over and above the 42,000 the Government says must built in the county by 2011.

They don't say exactly where--that's up to the city to decide in its local plan.

"We feel we don't need to make a decision at this stage. There is no need for unnecessary haste. We want to discuss further, with the community, where this development should be if the county forces this on us," said leader, Rodney Sabine.

But that's not what the officers think. They have warned that if a specific site is not identified in the local plan, then the strategic planners won't adopt it.

Allan Mitchell, Lib-Dem, said he was all for taking the whole area of search and defining it as the site, pointing out that, inevitably, there would be changes in the mean time.

"We don't know how the military will disperse their sites. They could move to the north of England or Scotland and that might mean a brownfield site available for development," he said.

"There may be a need for low-cost housing in this area, too."

He suggested referring the recommendation to the council and continuing the debate, perhaps, at a public inquiry.

Cabinet deputy chairman, Sheila Campbell, said that what was much more likely to be required was sites for 50 homes here and 100 there. "I don't think we ought to be restricted at this stage," she added.

Labour's Patrick Davies said that to go forward with a muddled plan that changed every week was irresponsible and would not give credibility to the process.

He accused the Lib-Dems of causing unnecessary worry to a lot of people.

"Land next to St Swithun's School, Worthy Down and Littleton is under threat because you put them into the melting pot," he said.