MORE than 160 new homes must be built in Mole Valley every year until 2026 to meet Government housing targets.
Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) is currently reviewing the district's green belt in a bid to help find sites for a further 2,120 new properties.
The council was given 20 years to approve 3,760 new homes in 2006 and so far 1,640 have been built, figures obtained by the Advertiser show.
The district council has said "significantly less" than one per cent of the green belt would be needed to help meet this total.
Jack Straw, planning and housing policy manager at MVDC, said: "All councils are required to have five years-worth of deliverable sites for housing available to them.
"Currently, the council has identified land for 550 dwellings; the equivalent of 3.4 years.
"This just emphasises the importance the green belt boundary review will have in helping to ensure the council is able to meet its target.
"It is estimated that it would require significantly less than one per cent of Mole Valley's green belt to achieve this."
A consultation period inviting residents to air their views on building on the district's green belt ended last month, and efforts will now go towards drafting the Lands Allocations Plan.
The document will identify the most appropriate green belt land for development, with the first draft expected by the end of the year followed by a six-week consultation.
The district council hope to implement the local plan by the middle of 2015.
