A BID to build 250 new homes on the outskirts of Braintree has been described as the “wrong thing, in the wrong place, at the wrong time”.

The application for a new estate between Long Green and Braintree Road in Long Green, Cressing, went before Braintree Council’s planning committee on Tuesday night.

It was unanimously turned down after planning officers recommended refusal due to safety and traffic concerns.

Susan Simpson, of Cressing Parish Council, spoke at the meeting to express concerns over the application.

She said: “We fully support the conclusion that the officers have reached.

“This application is very much the wrong thing, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Is it appropriate or sustainable that, according to the initial report, windows would need to be closed winter and summer to comply with standards?”

Mrs Simpson claimed the proposed estate would be used as a cut-through for commuter traffic and lorries getting to and from a waste site.

Developers Begin Braintree proposed building a new roundabout on Braintree Road to provide access to the development.

It also said it would re-route part of Braintree Road to remove two sharp bends.

But Mrs Simpson said: “This is not a safe or sensible strategy. The revised highways layout still shows another roundabout far too close to the Wyevale roundabout.”

Se said the site should be used to plant trees as part of the ‘Essex Forest’ initiative to tackle climate change.

The application, which included 100 affordable homes and 150 private dwellings, was also criticised due to the lack of services such as schools and healthcare in Cressing.

Braintree South councillor Kevin Bowers said: “Cressing has been saturated with development, I don’t think there is any other word for it.

“I believe this application is not sustainable in many ways, even with alterations. With applications that have already been approved there is pressure on day to day services that really don’t exist in the village.

“Apart from Cressing school, there is really one other other shop, a hairdressers, a mobility shop and a train station with very unreliable service.”