PLANS to build 60 homes on Thundersley green belt land will “destroy part of the fabric” of the area, angered residents say.
Firm Rainier Developments is preparing to submit a planning application to Castle Point Council to build 60 new homes on green belt land off Daws Heath Road.
The developer has pledged that 24 of the homes will be “affordable” and that the development will boast “new public open space, footpaths, and internal road infrastructure”.
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All of the homes will come with electric vehicle charging points and a new children’s play area will be created, the firm claims.
But residents fear the proposals will irrevocably change the character of the area.
"This proposal by these property developers is fundamentally flawed by the fact that it is a proposal to build a housing estate on green belt land,” Daws Heath resident Tim Copsey said.
“The land is a beautiful green space with trees and meadows, full of wildlife and home to many horses. This land is part of the fabric of the Daws Heath area that people like to walk by or admire when sitting in a traffic jam in Daws Heath Road.
“In addition to this the area is already overpopulated with a GP surgery that cannot meet demand and a local hospital that is at breaking point.”
He added: “The residents have had enough of the drive to concrete over the last of the green spaces and look forward to the council opposing this absurd proposal.”
In consultation documentation sent to homes surrounding the planned development, the developer argues the plans will create a “net gain” for biodiversity.
The developer says it will incorporate attenuation basins as part of the drainage strategy to nurture new wildlife.
The firm added: “The landscape-led layout has been sensitively designed with a significant woodland buffer to ensure protection of the ancient woodland to the south and southeast.
“Rainier Developments is continuing to engage with Castle Point Borough Council.”
The compaby had been contacted for comment.
The public consultation remains open until January 23.
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