Canvey town centre could soon be swamped with flats, councillors have warned.

A row has broken out over how many new homes will be built as part of the proposal to regenerate the island’s main shopping area.

A redevelopment plan, drafted by consultants BDP, estimates between 200 and 250 new homes may be added to the town centre.

However, Dave Blackwell, leader of Canvey Island Independent Party, fears the real figure could be closer to 400.

Speaking at the latest council meeting, Mr Blackwell said: “No one on Canvey knows about the real number of flats planned for the town centre.

“My worry is we will end up with too many flats and not enough shops.”

Fellow Canvey councillor Neville Watson said: “We all know developers want to build as many houses as possible.

“Why don’t the council officers just be honest and tell us how many houses are going to be built there?”

There are currently two conflicting documents surrounding town centre improvement.

The masterplan, created by BDP, predicts there will be 250 new flats, as part of an upgrade which will see Sainsbury’s expanded and a new town square created along with a street market.

However, Castle Point Council’s core strategy, which outlines where new housing in the borough will be built up until 2026, plans 400 homes in the area.

At the meeting, the council’s chief planning officer Steve Rogers admitted the core strategy would take precedence over the masterplan.

Mr Blackwell replied: “The truth is the core strategy overrides everything. That is what developers will use and I don’t want to leave that legacy to the people of the island.”

Mark Evershed, the council’s regeneration development manager, admitted building flats in the town centre was essential to entice developers to regenerate the shopping area.

He said: “If we want to deliver a new town centre, we are going to need to put in a certain amount of housing to pay for it.

“If we could get away with 150 homes then great, but the fact is you might not get any developers showing any interest.

“But there is no hidden agenda. What we want is a town centre with a good mix of housing, retail and leisure.”