A WHOPPING 200 tower blocks would have to be built in Southend town centre to halt plans for hundreds of new green belt homes in a “lunatic” 20-year house-building programme.

Southend Council has revealed it would have to build hundreds of new high-rises to stop any new development on the green lung between Southend and Rochford.

The stark admission comes as Southend Council’s Labour, Lib Dem and Independent cabinet backed the next stage of consultation over the town’s local plan.

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The consultation includes proposals to build on green belt land because of Government guidance.

However, earlier this month councillors united to oppose plans to build on the green belt, as Southend was given a target of building 23,500 homes.

Martin Terry, Independent councillor in charge of community safety, said: “We could see 150 to 200 tower blocks built in this town.

“We’re stuck in a corner of Essex with the ocean on one side.

“The target is ludicrously lunatic. We don’t need 23,500 homes, our housing waiting list is 1,500.”

It was previously touted that Southend would become a “mini-Manhattan” in a response to resisting building on green belt land.

This would see car parks in the town used to build high-rise tower blocks instead.

Independent councillor Ron Woodley, deputy leader of the council, said: “We have to produce this local plan.

“We are already building homes.

“We’re in danger of spiralling out of controls in building more and more homes. We have to be wary.”

At the cabinet meeting, four sites were identified and approved to be used for future homes.

These sites include land at formerly Futures High School in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend Ilfracombe Avenue car park, Southend Thorpedene Campus, Shoebury and land east of Brendon Way, Eastwood.

Sir David Amess, MP for Southend West, previously proposed building on MOD land in Shoebury, but this was deemed unviable by both the Ministry of Defence and Southend Council.

The cabinet has now agreed to ask Ps Sir David Amess and James Duddridge to seek talks with Government ministers to press the town’s case, emphasising the challenges it would have accommodating 23,000 new homes over the next 20 years.