CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 275 homes on Canvey are in jeopardy after council officers raised concerns about flood risk.

Persimmon Homes want to build on green belt land the size of 18 football pitches on the island’s Dutch Village, to the east of Canvey Road.

But Castle Point Council’s emergency planning team has objected to the proposal, casting doubt on the scheme.

Campaigning islanders hope the officers’ intervention will prove decisive when the application is considered by the council’s planning committee.

So far, no date has been set for the application to be considered.

Ray Howard, Tory councillor for Canvey West, believes the committee will ultimately rule out the project.

He said: “This is good news, and in the long run it could help us, as I think this will ultimately go to appeal before a government inspector.

“I believe the planning committee will object to it. I am sure Persimmon will contest it, and the inspector will look at things like this.”

As part of the application, Persimmon must prepare an evacuation plan.

In response to the application, council emergency planning officer Stephen Dickson said: “Officers responsible for emergency planning and business continuity have consulted on the flood risk assessment and hydraulic modelling technical note for the application and have concluded that we are not satisfied with the proposed development at this moment in time.

“Both the Environment Agency and Essex County Council have raised concerns over the scope of the hydraulic modelling applied to the application.

“Until the conditions stated by the lead local flood authority and the Environment Agency are met and these professional agencies agree that the planning permission could be granted, we cannot be supportive of this application.”

The intervention comes just weeks after two major developments on the island, a retail park in Roscommon Way and a business park in Northwick Road, were approved when the emergency planning team decided against making representations.

The council said the design issues in the application “did not include matters related to flood risk” and the site has good access to Canvey Road, providing “direct access off the island.”