PLANS to build homes and flats in Rayleigh are set to be thrown out because they do not offer any affordable housing.

A total of 57 homes will likely be refused by councillors at a Rochford Council planning meeting tonight after developers provided no homes to be allocated as affordable.

The 16 houses proposed for Hullbridge Road and 41 flats on land at the back of Eastwood Road should have included a provision of at least 35 per cent affordable homes, but in fact there was none.

Rochford district councillor Ron Oatham said: “I am supportive of the officer’s recommendations on the grounds that there is no affordable housing.

“I consider the application in Hullbridge Road, my ward, is a garden centre so if it were to be given planning permission there would be a loss of commercial property and jobs.

“It would also place much more strain on the infrastructure if you consider we have another 500 houses to be built.”

The Hullbridge Road site was considered as an outline application with the demolition of a garden centre and houses with a varying number of bedrooms, submitted by Kent Property Investments Ltd.

The Eastwood Road site was considered as a full application of two-bedroom flats from Histonwood Ltd, with the inclusion of demolition work to seven industrial units. But policy now requires all developments of 15 or more properties to have an allocation of 35 per cent affordable housing in order to be classed as sustainable.

In relation to Hullbridge Road, the recommendation said: “The proposed development of 16 units does not provide any affordable housing.

“The applicant’s submitted viability appraisal has been studied and it is considered that the scheme could viably provide for some affordable housing provision.”

In relation to the Eastwood Road plan, officers said: “It is considered that the scheme could viably provide for some affordable housing provision.

“The proposal, without affordable housing, would not represent sustainable development.”

Both applications will be discussed at 7.30pm tonight in the Civic Suite, Hockley Road, Rayleigh.