CONTROVERSIAL plans to remove 84 affordable homes from a £100m seafront development have been flatly refused by Southend Council.

Developer Inner London Group had been granted permission for 282 flats along with shops and restaurant as part of a major development...on the condition at least 84 of them were priced as affordable.

The developer then claimed the plans were “financially unviable” and was looking to give the council a cash contribution of £9.4m to fund affordable housing elsewhere instead, in exchange for having the condition removed.

Yesterday the council rejected the deal for the land between Southchurch Avenue and Pleasant Road.

Councillor David Norman said: “I am sure I am not alone in being angry about this. “About 24 months ago the developer entered into an agreement with the council regarding the ‘section 106’ and now they are seeking to remove the affordable homes.

“I want to know what has happened to make the agreed plans unviable.

“The way I see it is that a deal is a deal.

“We have lots of people in Southend who need these affordable homes.

“If we agree this then other developers will seek to do the same. I cannot agree this.”

A Section 106 agreement involves developers providing community facilities to compensate the extra strain on infrastructure including healthcare, education and roads.

Councillor Peter Wexham said: “I cannot see any Southend people living in these homes.

“These plans have been on and off.

“I think its an opportunity for the site to be sold off if the affordable housing is removed.

“When there are so many people needing affordable homes all we are seeing being built is luxury homes.”

Councillor Brian Ayling said: “It sounds very simple this company has proposed plans and it has now changed it. So we reject it and get them to come back with plans that are viable.”

Inner London Group did not attend the meeting yesterday although speaking previously Mr Fenttiman said: “Providing 84 affordable flats would cost us in the region of £10million but with the council could get more than £9million under this scheme. Flats on the seafront are expensive but the council could use the money to build many more affordable homes elsewhere in the borough where land is cheaper. Instead of 84 they could build 120.”