With Gloucester and Cheltenham carrying much of the new development, rural areas which were to have been built on, will now see an associated reduction in development.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Gloucestershire | Homes plan reprieves green belt

Education and rural development are priorities of the new government, sworn in following parliamentary elections in July, and presidential elections earlier in the year.

UNESCO: EDUCATION FIRST

But as China's coastal provinces -- which were first opened for Western-style economic reform in 1979 -- grow more expensive, more companies are moving factories into rural areas, sparking a new wave of development and giving workers more options closer to home.

CNN: China's workforce at a crossroads

And Mr Prescott's new green credentials are tarnished by several decisions he has already taken to allow rural development, which he is refusing to review.

ECONOMIST: Charge of the country brigade