MONMOUTHSHIRE council could be forced into reviewing its Local Development Plan to try to solve a housing land shortage.

And it is not hard to see why.

The slow progression of building on sites earmarked in the LDP means the council is not hitting its own housing targets.

In three years only 667 homes have been built - way short of the target of 488 homes a year.

With demand for housing in Monmouthshire growing as the Severn tolls are to be abolished, the council’s own target - even it it was being hit - looks as though it will not satisfy demand.

Nobody wants to see a mass house building programme on vast swathes of rural land, but if first time buyers ar e not be priced out of the market then something will have to be done and sooner rather than later.

The LDP will have to be reviewed and new land allocated for housing.

While the abolition of the tolls is generally good news for the economy of south east Wales there were early warning signs that the move would lead to an increased demand for housing.

And action now could prevent a shortage turning into a housing crisis.