The measure follows an earlier pledge by the coalition government to guarantee £10bn worth of investment in the sector in a bid to get building started.
The challenge, he said, was to create places "that will grow and thrive and become part of the fabric of this great country."
Said Clegg: "We can either condemn ourselves to haphazard urban sprawl – the surest way to damage the countryside. We can cram ever more people into existing settlements, concreting over gardens and parks. Or we can build places people want to live….Places which, rather than destroy the countryside, actually have a crucial role in keeping it intact."
In addtion, the deputy prime minister announced that the government is "intervening directly" to unblock major housing projects including Cranbrook, Fairfield, Northstowe and East Kettering.
Said Clegg: "Where investment is required, I can announce new funding: we will provide £225m of government money, which will also leverage private investment to effectively de-risk these projects and get them moving.
Once these developments are complete, the taxpayer will get that money back said Clegg.
