The council has been attacked for departing from its own planning policies after two sites earmarked for residential development are set to exclude any affordable housing provision.

Opposition councillors have spoken out against Richmond upon Thames Council's decision to depart from its own planning policies to allow prestigious plots at the Twickenham Riverside development and at Friars Lane car park, Richmond, to be snapped up by developers without an obligation to provide affordable housing.

According to Richmond council's planning policy, any development providing more than 12 homes must include an affordable housing element.

Conservative councillor, Geoffrey Samuel, said: "I thought this seemed rather unsavoury.

"The council sets its own rules for affordable housing and maintains it is keen on them. Then it changes the rules for itself.

"Authorities have to be very careful about allowing themselves to be the exception."

Coun Samuel also said that such a move might be interpreted as suggesting that only the affluent are entitled to reside in sought-after locations in the borough.

But deputy leader, Coun Stephen Knight, has defended the move and said that more affordable housing will be built elsewhere in the borough as a result.

"This is the first time a council has gone to this length because of desperate housing problems in the borough.

"It is a judgement saying we can provide social housing in the most expensive parts of the borough or we can provide ten times more in other parts.

Plans are now underway for 34 affordable three, four and five bedroomed houses to be built in smaller sites across the borough in association with social landlords, Richmond Housing Partnership and Richmond Churches Housing Trust.

The 10 intended locations include garage sites at Sherland Road, Twickenham and Shacklegate Lane, Teddington; Lower Grove Road, Richmond and Mortlake Road in Kew.

The housing is to be viewed as "credits" against the affordable housing requirement of the Friars Lane and Riverside sites.

A developer for the Riverside site, which will include the proposed eco-education River Centre spearheaded by the Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, has yet to be found.

Coun Knight added: "We are getting large houses which is what's needed by the housing register. It ought to be a win-win situation."

The plans were agreed at a cabinet meeting on Monday and the decision will be debated by full council on September 17.