Behind the green door

Ian Paul The Politics Show, BBC South

Earthship Brighton is in the vanguard of green living

Could building 100,000 eco-friendly homes really be the answer to the country's housing shortage? They have certainly formed an eye-catching plank in Gordon Brown's leadership platform this week.

But even if all those houses were built here in the south (a big if) would it really be enough to help all the people who currently are struggling to get onto the property ladder?

After all, the South East Plan currently envisages more than half a million extra homes over the next decade - and even that may not alleviate the shortage.

And then there is the cost.

Here in the south, even the least cat-swinging accommodation feels beyond the reach of the first time buyer.

The Politics Show team did a bit of exhaustive research on the internet and in five minutes managed to turn up a bargain property in Southampton.

For £85,000 you can have a studio flat with a 14'x10' lounge, an 8'x7' kitchen, and a 6'x4' bathroom to luxuriate in.

That's your lot.

Bigger up north

A similarly exhaustive search (actually, this one took just two minutes) in Hull turned up a three-bedroomed terrace house with a 26'x11' lounge, a 19'x9' kitchen, a 7'x5' bathroom - oh, and those three bedrooms.

New build... is that the answer?

All for the same £85,000.

But just in case that is a little too steep for your pockets, we also found some very nice-looking houses starting at £35,000.

Only one problem - the houses may be in Hull, but the jobs are here in the south.

Quite a graphic illustration of why affordable housing is an issue affecting more than just key workers.

Could we perhaps be barking up the wrong cul-de-sac with our enthusiasm for actually owning the roof over our heads?

And in Euro-zone?

It has to be said, they do things differently in other countries.

In France and Germany, for example, there is a much larger private rented sector, and many of our European neighbours have a significantly greater social housing sector than we do.

So renting is both more widespread and cheaper.

Never mind getting on to the property ladder - many will need cranes

Also there is less panic at not getting that precious first foothold on the housing ladder.

Time was, of course, when some of the pressure on the market was relieved by council housing.

Building hope

Hardly any more. The Right-to-Buy scheme and various transfers to housing associations and Arms-Length Management Organisations and the like have certainly taken their toll.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, in 1997 there were 4.4 million local authority dwellings available for rent in the UK.

By 2005, that figure had dropped to 2.8 million. It hardly takes Sherlock Homes to realise that waiting lists have correspondingly gone up.

There may be some small ray of hope though.

Ministers are now beginning to talk of the possibility of building more local authority housing in the future to replace what has been lost.

Affordability, availability, sustainability - it feels as if here in the south at least we've got none of those right.

The housing crisis is certainly high on the political agenda now.

And the rewards for anyone able to solve it are potentially great.

But can you solve it without bursting the price bubble and plunging everyone into negative equity?

The reward for pulling that off would be a lot less attractive!

So should we be building more houses?

Should we be building more council houses?

Can we build enough houses to give everyone a roof over their head without ruining the environment?

Join Peter Henley this Sunday lunchtime 20 May from 12:00 BST on BBC One - he will be addressing the issues live from the Earthship Brighton...

Send us an email and join the debate.