ACCUSATIONS of a cover-up over a public consultation into where 49,000 new homes should be located were fired at Hertfordshire County Council this week.

The opposition Labour party is claiming the Conservative administration had a hidden agenda of trying to cram housing into towns, including 300 a year in Watford and 220 annually in Three Rivers until 2016.

The council's journal, Herts Direct, which is sent to all addresses in the county, asked residents to apply for a copy of the summary document outlining options for future property development.

However, Labour Councillor Brian York says people had complained of difficulties in obtaining copies of the report, which should be available from council offices and libraries across Hert- fordshire.

The Tories deny the allegation, claiming there has been just one complaint to date.

Councillor York, spokesman for environment, said: "This looks like a deliberate attempt by the Conservative administration to have as little public debate as possible.

"They know their policy of cram, cram, cram all 49,000 new houses into existing towns is unpopular.

"The consequences will be intolerable pressures on school places, the health service and gridlock on the roads.

"And this is essentially because the leader of the controlling Conservative group [Councillor Robert Ellis] wants to abandon the widely supported west of Stevenage sustainable development of 5,000 homes because it is close to his own electoral division.

"Look at the problems Watford had got already, in particular the traffic as well as pressure on school places, the hospital and other health services."

The council's preferred option is to hold fire for five years and then decide on a plan of action, which would mean abandoning a planning application to build on land west of Stevenage.

Conservative Councillor David Beatty insisted the document was easily obtainable and accused his Labour counterparts of "trying to rape the Green Belt" with the proposed Stevenage development.

He claimed there would be room for further development in towns.

Councillor Beatty said: "We had one complaint right at the beginning of the process.

"We have checked with the call centre and they have had no difficulties since then.

"The Labour party continues to hanker after the Green Belt.

"It is Government policy to build in towns wherever possible and we have enough room to do that until 2016.

"We do not want to build 49,000 houses but the Government is forcing us to do it.

"We are going to have to build more in the long-term and we want to keep Green Belt development to an absolute minimum.

"There are traffic problems in many places, including Watford, but this west of Stevenage development will not solve that."

The public consultation started on Monday, July 8, and continues until Monday, September 30.

The report and a questionnaire are available online at www.hertsdirect.org.uk or from the forward planning unit on 01992 556297 or 01992 556277.