FIRST-TIME buyers across Salisbury and the New Forest can breathe a sigh of relief at news that the government is to deliver more affordable housing.

Deputy PM John Prescott and health secretary John Reid announced the groundbreaking scheme last week, which will see developers building on part of the Old Manor Hospital site and at St Leonards near Ringwood.

An agreement has been reached to sell off land at 100 surplus NHS sites across the country to provide 15,000 new homes - at least 5,000 of them being affordable properties.

The land will be used to tackle housing shortages and include key worker properties, promoting regeneration of priority areas, as part of the £22bn sustainable communities plan.

Money raised from the sale of the sites will be poured back into the NHS to fund buildings and equipment.

Mr Prescott said: "This shows our determination to deliver more affordable homes where they are needed most, especially for key workers and young families.

"It will unlock major brownfield sites, secure more than 15,000 homes and kick-start regeneration, as part of a comprehensive programme to create thriving and sustainable communities across all regions of England.

"We are committed to protecting the countryside from the blight of urban sprawl through reviving brownfield land for development.

"That's why we are taking a new approach across government to make sure the best possible use is made of surplus sector land."

Health secretary John Reid said the scheme would help inject cash back into the NHS and make a valuable contribution to the provision of key worker housing in areas that needed it most.

"Most of the surplus land is in the south, where there is a real shortage of affordable housing for key workers, such as nurses, police and teachers," he said.

"Staff are the public sector's greatest asset and it is vital that we work across government departments to provide them with the opportunity to live and work where they choose and where the need to recruit is the greatest."