Teignbridge might have to find room for an entire new town to help deliver the 16,000 new homes the government is demanding. Although still a distant prospect, a suggested location for the 3,000-home community could be opposite Chudleigh Knighton to the south of the A38 Devon Expressway. The shock suggestion is included in a report due to go before Teignbridge Council's executive on Monday. Other suggestions are that land west of the A30 near Exeter should also be earmarked for major development as should Kingskerswell and the Ogwell Cross area between Newton Abbot and Abbotskerswell. A commitment to reopening Kingskerswell station should be made and the railway line at Dawlish be protected at all costs. The authority is preparing its response to the Regional Spatial Strategy, a government blueprint which will map out development for the next 20 years. It had been thought that the district would have to find room for 8,600 new homes but that has now risen to 15,900. Up to 8,000 properties will be centred on the Newton Abbot area with the rest spread across the district. To cope, Teignbridge is set to make a number of recommendations including the possibility of a new community. Similar plans exist in South Hams and east Devon where the new towns of Sherford and Cranbrook are in the pipeline. Currently such a scheme is ruled out for Teignbridge, but the district council is likely to ask for that to be looked at. The suggestion was first made by Conservative leader Cllr Stuart Barker. He said it was an option that must be explored and that the A38 corridor would be his choice. He said that 'without wanting to get the hares running' he thought a large triangle of land to the west of the main road near the Chudleigh Knighton flyover would be suitable. 'Realistically, I think we could be looking at a community of between 2,500 to 3,000 homes which would not interfere with existing settlements,' he said. 'Nobody is going to thank us wherever we put 16,000 new homes, it's just not an argument we're going to win. 'I feel we need to start thinking creatively. We know there are 4,000 people waiting for social housing, that's a number we can't ignore. There are also many more people who are waiting to move on from their starter homes. 'Creating a new community might be easier as we could work with developers from the start and do it without the angst of building on somebody's doorstep.' Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross said the need for a new community was 'questionable' and he criticised the government's expectations. 'If you look at the vast number of houses they are demanding it is going to be very hard to find anywhere suitable to put them,' he said. 'They're just asking for too many, we can't just keep on building.' Teignbridge Council has played down the prospect of a new town. Cllr Mike Haines, executive spokesman for strategic planning, said: 'This is one of a number of theoretical ideas, all of which are at an extremely early stage and would need a great deal of careful consideration by lots of different organisations. At this stage we are simply looking at leaving a number of future options open. 'If approved this would enable the Regional Assembly to consider the potential for a new settlement in Teignbridge, ensuring that all options for the future can be considered if they're needed.' Phil Shears, deputy chief executive, said: 'There are absolutely no plans for a new settlement in Teignbridge.  What this report looks at is making sure that the option could be thought about at a later date if it turns out that other ways of providing housing can't work. 'The long term planning process is notoriously complex, and we owe it to the people of Teignbridge to make sure that we, and other planning agencies, can at least consider different options in future.  'We need to make sure that we have a sustainable and affordable supply of housing for local people in coming years, and every decision we make will respect the needs of our communities and recognise the character, culture and environment that are valued by our residents.'