CASTLE Point has been described as “at war” with developers by worried residents who fear the council’s lack of local plan has left the area at risk.

On Tuesday, Castle Point Council is set to throw out plans for 173 homes at Brooks Farm, in Daws Heath, however it is the latest in the long line of planning applications targeting green belt land in the borough.

The council currently has no local plan in place, and residents fear developers are targeting the area because they are confident they will get the green light at appeal with the Government’s planning inspectorate.

Castle Point councillor, John Knott, described a “relentless war” on the borough by developers, but insisted a new local plan is “on track” and will “guarantee” fewer houses are built in the borough.

Neal Warren, co-founder of the Save Daws Heath campaign group, said: “Sadly I think developers smell blood in the water. The old plan was unacceptable I think everyone agrees on that. The independent councillors told us withdrawing the old plan and removing the huge amount of evidence submitted with it was necessary to start again, even if it meant exposing Castle Point’s Green Belt to speculative development.

“Developers clearly smell blood in the water, the Government are telling them to hurry up and residents are sick of speculative applications not just on sites that were in the old plan.

“We are almost two years down the line without a plan and the applications are stacking up all over the place.”

The plans for 173 homes, by developer Countryside Partnerships, follow a series of high-profile planning applications. This includes plans for 58 homes on land next to Daws Heath and proposals for 455-homes in Daws Heath which are both set to be heard at appeal in coming months.

Castle Point Council has recently rejected plans to build 35 homes at Glyder’s, in South Benfleet, as well as 49 homes on green belt on Felstead Road, Benfleet.

Mr Knott said: “This has been utterly relentless; it is a war of constant applications from developers, and we are defending them all, some of them will go to appeal. We withdrew the last local plan and our plans for a new local plan are ahead of track and will guarantee fewer houses in the borough.

“It is a war, as time goes on we are getting closer to our new local plan but we can’t lose our green belt. This is not a game of stalling, this is a game of defending.”

Daws Heath resident, Tim Copsey, said: “Residents for years have lived under the threat of property developers wiping out the green spaces but we are now living through a particularly intense period.
 

“It certainly feels like being under siege from large corporations that care nothing for our area.

“One more enormous application on the Daws Heath green belt of 173 dwellings typifies the relentless attacks on the neighbourhood.  We are experiencing week after week the legacy of the loathed withdrawn local plan that allocated vast swathes of green belt to property developers.

“I am grateful to the council for that plan being stopped and a new one being developed as rapidly as legal processes allow. Unfortunately the developers desire what they thought was coming their way before the plan was withdrawn.”