Thousands of homes could be built on the green belt after the head of Natural England calls for a review of laws that safeguard the countryside around London.

Large areas of rural Surrey would become prime ground for development if the law was relaxed, but Sir Martin Doughty - chairman of the government advisory body charged with protecting the English countryside - supports the move to ease the housing crisis.

The Sunday Times newspaper reports that Sir Martin will use a speech tomorrow on the first anniversary of Natural England to call for a relaxation of the law regarding green belt developments.

The speech will reportedly argue that the surging demand for new homes means "the sanctity of green belt land should be questioned".

Green belts covers 4.2million acres in England and cover 13 per cent of the country. The biggest is the green belt around London, which is designed to prevent urban sprawl swallowing commuter regions such as Surrey.

Sir Martin's proposals have angered some environmental campaigners and residents of green belt towns and villages who value their tranquillity.

The Government has a target to build three million new homes by 2020, and Sir Martin is arguing for some eco-friendly developments to be considered on green belt sites.