A POLITICIAN has been dubbed "a hypocrite" for saying she was shocked at proposals to build up to 1,500 new homes in her village – even though she had headed up the council panel discussing their possible development.
Tory councillor Linda Golding, who represents West Horndon, chaired Brentwood Borough Council's Local Development Plan cross-party working group until her resignation weeks ago.
The plan said up to 1,500 new homes could be built in the area by 2030. As reported in this paper last week, Cllr Golding said development of the green belt would happen "over my dead body".
Yet this week, residents and opposition councillors took to Twitter to criticise her involvement, which they claim would double the village's population.
Some claim she should have done more to prevent the proposals, yet Cllr Golding, who is up for election in May 2014, dismissed this as "rubbish".
Wendy Griffin, 43, of Clavering Gardens, West Horndon, suggested Cllr Golding may be a "snake in the grass" after not responding to her tweet, which asked her to clarify how early she knew about the scale of the plans.
"If it was me and I was innocent I'd want to stand up and say, 'no, you're in the wrong'," she said.
"I think she's obviously had a part in (the local development plan). If I was in such a position I certainly would've looked into it and perhaps made others around here aware of it sooner. Now we're running out of time."
The protection of the green belt is an emotive issue, coming top in a list of residents' concerns in a public consultation on development in 2011.
Brentwood First councillor Russell Quirk, who represents Hutton North, said Cllr Golding "would have known the size of the plans months in advance".
"She can't have it both ways, she either supports it or not," he added.
Cllr Golding hit back claiming the idea she could have done more was mere political posturing ahead of elections in nine months.
"Who are all these people that think I want to put my own historical cottage at risk like that?" she asked.
"I got the full and final draft the same day as everyone else and I took copies to the parish council the same day.
"This is nothing to do with discussing what's right for West Horndon – it's political.
"The only place in West Horndon which could be considered for development are on the industrial estates."
On criticisms that she has failed to respond to concerns on social media sites, she said: "I'm not going to respond in anger.
"I use Twitter but I very rarely publish anything political."
West Horndon Parish Council is co-ordinating a campaign to protect the village.
Chairman Cllr Anthony Crowley said: "It has been well known that West Horndon was going to be earmarked for development.
"I'm led to believe that a certain amount of this was put together by outside consultants.
"The question is how much did they (members of the LDP working group) know? I've no doubt that the parish council, borough members and our county member will show as a united force."
The borough council is consulting on its draft Local Development Plan from July 24 to October 2.
Have your say at www. brentwood.gov.uk/localplan