HUNDREDS of people turned out to demand plans for a massive new housing estate and traveller site, in Rayleigh and Rawreth are scrapped.

More than 500 people crammed into Pope John Paul Hall, London Road, Rayleigh, with more than 100 outside in the car park trying to follow proceedings.

During the heated meeting, about the proposal for 772 new homes, Ian Ward, chairman of Rayleigh Town Council and a Rochford councillor, was keen to read out a letter on behalf of Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois, who was invited, but couldn’t attend.

But, as he approached the stage, he was relentlessly heckled by residents, with one man desperate to square up to him.

Patricia Putt, of Exmouth Drive, who was co-chairing the meeting, interrupted and said: “He is not reading anything. Mark Francois has had seven years to talk to us.”

Mr Ward gave the Echo a copy of the letter during the meeting, in which Mr Francois apologised for his absence, adding he was at an important engagement in London.

Co-chairman Linda Kendall, of Lubbards Close, Rayleigh, was pleased with how the meeting went, and promised it would be the first of many. She said: “We were very surprised at the numbers.

"We weren’t expecting anything like that.

“I now hope it will move on and people will try to do something to get the politicians who deal with this, like Eric Pickles, to ask councillors to call this off.

“We want Rayleigh reconsidered.”

As part of the development, a new travellers’ site would be built on a site known as Michelin’s Farm, off the A130 in Rawreth, near the Canvey junction on the A127, with room for up to 45 caravans.

Some fear it would spiral out of control, like the one at Dale Farm, in Crays Hill, which became Europe’s largest illegal traveller camp before an eviction in 2011.

Gary Bentley, 53, of Downhall Park Way, Rayleigh, said: “I’m not against proper allocated sites for travellers, but we don’t want another Dale Farm. No way.

“I want to see the infrastructure is in place before all this happens.”

During the meeting, residents raised concerns about how the town’s existing infrastructure would cope, saying roads were already gridlocked.

Residents also said they had only recently found out about the plans, despite the core strategy, the document that sets out future development in the district, emerging in December 2011.

Keith Hudson, in charge of planning at Rochford District Council, was surprised people weren’t aware of the proposals and insisted residents would have had literature through their door.

He added: “In the circumstances I amsurprised the council was not invited to give a presentation.

However, the council has done many presentations to date, many of which I have attended myself.

“If the body of the audience from this meeting would like a further presentation as to the meaning of the document that sets out the boundaries for the site, then the council would be pleased to arrange it.”

Mr Francois said: “I only had a few days’ notice that this meeting was taking place and I was unfortunately unable to attend, but I did ask one of my councillors to go and read out a letter apologising for not being present.

“However, I understand the meeting was rather chaotic and councillor Ian Ward was not allowed to speak.

“This meant the letter I had given him was never read out.

“I can understand constituents may have concerns about what the council is proposing, but I think the council should be given an opportunity to explain its proposals in an orderly way.

“If there are any further meetings they would have to be a bit better organised than this one."