RESIDENTS have hit out at designs for 145 homes which include apartments they say “look like a prison block”.

Outline planning permission for the homes at the former Arla Dairy site in Hatfield Peverel was granted by Braintree Council in December 2017.

Now developers have submitted a reserved matters bid which contains details such as the layout and how the homes will look.

Hatfield Peverel resident Kevin Dale said: “Some people are shocked, saying the proposed flats look like a prison block.

“Many in the village accepted development on this site as the right location for growth in the village - a brownfield site next to the railway station.

“However the mix of development, layout of the scheme and design character in the current plans are not right.

“I think [the developer] needs to go back to the drawing board and have a re-think.

“It’s about getting the right type of affordable houses for village residents.

“For future generations I think it’s very important to have a build character that fits in harmony with the largely rural parishes of Hatfield Peverel and Terling.”

Bellway Homes submitted the plans.