A FARM is set to be torn down and replaced with almost 50 new houses.

Solby Wood Farm in Daws Heath Road, Hadleigh will be demolished.

It will be replaced with a 46 home redevelopment on the green belt site, after an application was approved by Castle Point Council.

Alf Papworth, from the Hadleigh Residents Association, described the decision as “disgusting” after permission was granted.

He said: “Instead of looking after the green belt in this area, an area which is in a bad state, they are looking after the builders.

“When we heard about the original decision, a lot of people objected.”

The site is about 8.5 acres in size, equivalent to about five football pitches.

It will consist of five homes with three bedrooms, 31 homes with four bedrooms and ten with five bedrooms.

In December 2016, the application received confident backing from the chairman of Castle Point’s planning committee, Simon Hart.

The application was finally granted permission by Castle Point Council.

An agreement has also been reached about what contributions the developer has to make to help the community and infrastructure.

Under the agreement, the developer, Argent Developers Limited, of Braintree, has been asked to pay £1.4million in affordable housing contributions to the council.

The site must also include a space for a children’s play area within the new development.

Mr Papworth again spoke out with his concerns for the new build, which will see a large amount of greenbelt lost in his area.

He has lived in the area for more than 50 years.

He said: “We have lost greenbelt we do not want to lose.

“We do not want this area to become a concrete jungle. If we carry on building houses like this, we are going to end up completely unable to get an appointment at the doctors or to use the roads. It is just disgusting.”