CAMPAIGNERS are angry after Castle Point Council decided it will hold behind-closed-doors hearings to discuss where 1,000 new homes are to be built.

The private meetings, which will take place over two evenings next month, will see councillors consider possible brownfield and green belt locations in the borough.

The authority has been forced to find new house building sites by the Government’s planning inspector Paul Crysell.

Mr Crysell is currently reviewing Castle Point’s core strategy document, which outlines where all development in the borough should take place up until 2026.

He wrote a letter in May advising the council its house building plans were undeliverable.

He urged the council to find new locations for 1,000 homes – of which 500 must be built within the next five years.

He also advised green belt land in Hadleigh, Benfleet and Thundersley should be used to meet the shortfall, particularly sites which have been subject to planning applications in the past.

Although the meetings will be held in private, campaign groups have been allotted time slots to state their cases.

Paul Saunders, spokesman for the Hands Off Our Green Belt Campaign set up to fight Barratt Homes plans to build hundreds of properties on green fields north of Daws Heath Road, said: “We find the idea of doing this behind closed doors a bit alien.

“This system has taken us by surprise, because up to now everything which has been carried out has been done in an open and public way.

“It’s a shame we are not going to have that luxury in this case.

“We will be making sure a full report of what we say at the meeting will be made available to anyone who is interested.”

The council said the final decision on the sites will be taken in public, and a full report will also be available.