UKIP has unveiled its housing policies – which centre round a commitment not to build on the Green Belt.

The party would also bring 700,000 empty properties back into use as affordable housing, and revitalise the Right to Buy scheme.

UKIP would encourage building on brownfield land by transferring the risk of developing on potentially contaminated land from builders to the Government and investors.

It would also eliminate Stamp Duty Land Tax from all properties developed on brownfield sites and remove VAT from all brownfield conversion costs.

The party believes that as many as 2.5m homes could be build on brownfield land.

Yesterday, at the UKIP party conference, housing spokesman Andrew Charalambous said: “We would establish the UK Brownfield Agency to compile and collate data for a national brownfield register, provide decontamination assessment grants, and low interest loans for decontamination and land remediation.

“We would issue brownfield bonds with the aim of raising £5bn to fuel our brownfield revitalisation programme – paving the way for more affordable housing and more home ownership by investing in our country’s most derelict and underused land rather than turning beautiful landscapes into concrete jungles.

“UKIP will never concede an inch of the British countryside to residential development.

“Politicians do not have the right to deprive future generations from living the marvels of the British countryside – to confine their experience of the beauty of Britain to images in photographs and video archives.”

Charalamous is a colourful character who describes himself as a tantric master. He is also a landlord, a vegetarian, and owner of a stake in an ecological nightclub.

Here’s how Eye reported on UKIP’s position back in May after the party won the European elections.