COUNCIL chiefs have backed a four-year plan calling for 2,000 more affordable homes to plug a dire shortage in Southampton.
They have also pledged to bring the condition of the remaining third of the 18,000 council homes to a new national standard by 2010, to work to further reduce homelessness, and do more for older people.
Councillor David Beckett, Cabinet member for resources, said: "It will shape the city in the way we want rather than let it go its own way."
The housing strategy says despite providing about 400 new affordable homes annually, there is an overall shortfall of 1,391 affordable homes a year.
An independent consultant recently found the number of terraced houses in the city was below the national average while flats were significantly above both national and regional figures.
The consultant said the highest demand was for semi-detached homes.
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