RESIDENTS and councillors have voiced their anger after Southend Council approved a scheme to turn a former office site into flats and a hotel.

Plans to build 216 homes, including a 12-storey block of flats, a 64-bedroom hotel and shops, on the site of the partially-demolished Esplanade House, in Eastern Esplanade, were agreed by the council.

But residents, backed by several councillors, say they are disapointed by the move and are asking the Government’s Communities Secretary John Denham to intervene.

John Webber, chairman of the Gas Works Residents’ Association, said the new development would overburden the area’s infrastructure, and cause traffic and parking problems in the surrounding area.

Mr Webber, of Victoria Road, said: “Too much is being proposed on such a small area of land. If you cater for residents, you also have to cater for visitors, but that is not being done, so people will park up wherever they can.”

Ron Woodley, Independent councillor for the Thorpe ward, has written to Mr Denham, asking him to call a planning inquiry, which would give the Government’s Planning Inspectorate the final say.

Mr Woodley’s concerns over the development include its size, scale and design, plus the knock-on effects it would have on the area’s infrastructure. He said: “We know the area around the site is one of the most densely populated and deprived in the country, let alone Southend. If we keep adding to that, we are not doing any favours to the residents of that area.”

The application also involved an outline plan to put affordable housing units on land fronting Burnaby Road. But Mr Woodley doubted this would come to fruition.

He said: “This developer should be supplying 30 per cent affordable housing, not handing the land over to another developer.”

The developer was unavailable to comment.