VILLAGERS voiced their opinions against plans to build 240 new homes in Southminster at a parish council meeting.
Several residents got up and spoke at the Southminster Parish Council planning meeting on Monday (May 2), which was considering the plans for a site east of New Moor Crescent.
One of the residents who spoke at the meeting was mother-of-three, Tania Lynham, 38, who runs a car MOT business in the village with her husband, Mark, and is a member of the Southminster against development group.
"I'm very angry about the plans for all these houses in what is a tiny village," she said.
"They would completely change the area if they go ahead. It's just greed from the developers.
"I think developers think they can just stroll into the village and build what they want. It's only a handful of people that will benefit from this.
"An extra 1,000 people could be living at the far end of the village and I thought this was supposed to be a rural area."
Mrs Lynham cited a number of reasons at the meeting why she is against the development.
She told the Chronicle: "The schools are at breaking point in the village – you can't just keep increasing classroom size and expect children to get a good education.
"The traffic would be ridiculous and all the cars will have to travel right through the centre of the village to get to the site, making it more dangerous for everyone whilst the build is going on and when it's done we will have lots of extra cars.
"The doctor's surgery is overcrowded, there is no dentist here and at the Burnham one it's notoriously hard to get an appointment. And what about the wildlife?"
"I think the parish council listened to us when we spoke."
The proposals were submitted by Gladman Developments who have sent out leaflets to more than 700 houses and businesses in Southminster.
At the meeting the parish council decided to object to the proposals, but the final decision will be taken by the district council at a future date.
Independent councillor and council chairman Brian Beale said: "The parish council objected to the proposals for a number of reasons.
"We felt that this was far too early in respect of the LDP and the 240 homes that they have applied for would have swallowed up the 350 home rural allocation in the LDP.
"There were also issues with the traffic movements from the estate and sewage."
