Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, has made a commitment that new housing developments will not proceed without essential infrastructure like GP services and schools.

In his view, the current scenario resembles the "Wild West," where "developers dictate the locations of developments, and the necessary infrastructure lags behind."

Earlier this week, Sir Keir announced his intention to "push through" planning regulations to construct 1.5 million new homes.

The Conservative Party criticized Labour's record in housebuilding, describing it as "appalling."

Housing Minister Rachel Maclean pointed out that Labour has failed to construct an adequate number of homes in areas where they hold power, such as London and Wales. She also accused the party of hindering housebuilding by opposing the relaxation of water pollution regulations.

During his speech at the Labour Party's annual conference, Sir Keir proposed creating the "next generation of new towns" near English cities, with an emphasis on accelerating construction on unused urban land, including disused car parks and vacant lots.

Nevertheless, in a series of interviews with local BBC radio stations, he faced questions about the rapid pace of housebuilding.

Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, Sir Keir acknowledged public concerns, saying, "What people are telling us is that they only learn about developments when construction begins - there is no prior opportunity for their input. Additionally, they were promised a train station and a GP clinic to accompany the new homes, but none of that materialized. These are the concerns we need to address. I will not support constructing homes without the necessary infrastructure."

BBC Radio Devon raised the issue of second homes driving up property prices in the county. In response, Sir Keir reaffirmed his party's commitment to introducing a licensing scheme in England for short-term holiday rentals, with the aim of ensuring effective oversight of the system.

While a similar scheme is already in place in Scotland, the Welsh government is in the process of planning a comparable initiative. The UK government has conducted a consultation on implementing a registration scheme for short-term rentals in England, but Sir Keir expressed impatience with consultations, saying, "I am eager to move from consultation to taking action."

The Labour Party's plan to construct 1.5 million homes in England over five years is broadly aligned with the government's objective to deliver 300,000 new units annually from the mid-2020s.

When asked how his proposals differed from those of the Conservatives, Sir Keir asserted that his commitment had undergone rigorous scrutiny, and he would only present "foolproof" proposals to voters in an election. Labour has not disclosed the specific locations or the number of "new towns" it intends to build, announcing that a six-month consultation will be launched to solicit proposals from councils.