Mr Barwell was visiting three developments across Kent and Essex as he looked at how they reflected the four key aspects of the housing white paper: planning more homes in the right places, building the homes we need, diversifying the market and helping people now.

During the visit, Mr Barwell visited SME housebuilder Latis, which is delivering nearly 300 new homes on former Ministry of Defence land after securing £14.4m through the Home Building Fund.

Mr Barwell opened a new affordable housing development built in Gillingham on the former site of a school, and visited the Port of Tilbury, Essex, to discuss plans for the growth of the Thames Gateway area, which will see the development of the largest warehouse in the country for Amazon UK.

“It has been a great opportunity to visit three exciting developments across the South East of England today, showcasing the range and diversity of our housing ambitions as set out in our housing white paper.

“From seeing a better choice of accommodation for older people in Gillingham, to the re-development of public sector land in Chatham by an ambitious SME housebuilder, and witnessing the expansion of infrastructure in Tilbury.

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“All of these sites reflect the key priorities for this government and these developers are leading the way in efforts to fix our broken housing market and ensure this is a country that works for everyone.”

Paul Kitson, general manager for the South East at the Homes and Communities Agency, added: “I am delighted that the HCA has been able to support Latis in developing this landmark site, just 40 minutes from central London by train.

“This will provide much-needed homes that otherwise might not have happened, and is part of the HCA’s ongoing commitment to the Medway area.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Howard Doe, deputy leader of Medway Council and portfolio holder for housing, said it was very proud of the development at the former site of a school.

“This new development of 32 affordable homes caters especially for those who are less mobile and some have been specially designed for wheelchair users.

“These council homes follow on from the success of phase one of this multi-million-pound project, which saw the creation of 26 homes on former garage sites.

“The aim of this housing project was to offer people the chance to rent good quality, energy-efficient homes that they can afford, and it’s safe to say we have achieved this.”