The affordable homes programme is set to allow thousands of new homes to be built, according to government figures.

Housing minister Grant Shapps has claimed the government's target of 150,000 new homes by 2015 will not only be met, but exceeded.

The programme can now afford to build 170,000, a marked improvement on the initial total of 56,000, cites Build.co.uk.

The plethora of new affordable housing may in turn create more supported housing jobs across the UK, with London looking set to be given the biggest boost. 35 per cent of funding and 27 per cent of new homes have been pencilled in for the capital.

According to Inside Housing, 29 per cent of the additional 80,000 new homes will be "larger family-sized homes with three or more bedrooms", while almost 10 per cent will supported housing and 9 per cent will be homes in rural areas.

Shapp elaborates on the scheme, stating: "When I launched the invitation for bids under the new Framework in February, I said that my aspiration was to deliver more than 150,000 new affordable homes, and challenged the sector to deliver.

"The response from providers to the invitation for proposals under this programme has exceeded my original expectations, and I now believe that we will be able to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes," he added.