THURROCK councillors look set to reject plans for 90 new homes on Aveley green belt.

Developer M Scott Properties Ltd wants to build the homes on land west of Park Lane. The outline planning application was supported by council officers but Thurrock's planning committee raised concerns over the loss of green belt and a lack of infrastructure and transport links.

Pierre Farnsworth, director of Scott Properties, told a recent meeting of the committee, that the development would benefit Aveley.

He said: "The scheme will deliver a number of significant planning benefits – the delivery of up to 90 new homes in a sustainable location, which will make a meaningful contribution to the district's delivery of new homes, up to 36 affordable homes providing 5 per cent above policy and four custom-built plots to address local needs."

Steve Liddiard, Labour councillor for Tilbury St Chads, supported the scheme. He said: "It seems to me because we are so very short of affordable housing in the area that we are prepared to use our green belt. As I'm in favour of producing as much affordable housing as we possibly can I shall be voting in favour.

However, Jacqui Maney, Conservative councillor for Aveley and Uplands, said "I don't like the application at all. I think it's been done with maximum gain for the applicant with no thought for the fact that it is totally not in keeping with Aveley at all.

"The primary schools are bursting at the seams. The children are rammed in like sardines. You ring the doctors and you can't get through for an hour and then it starts all over again. We do not have the facilities for another huge housing estate at all."

Kathy Sisterson, Labour councillor for Aveley and Uplands, added: "There's several reasons why this development is inappropriate in this location. It's on green belt land. It's not previously developed land.

"Aveley Medical Centre has got 4,600 patients per GP compared to a Thurrock average of 3,431 and a national average of 2,294 so it's a severe pressure on that service. Aveley primary schools are both over-subscribed. There's children in Aveley already having to go to school in Purfleet because there is not room locally."

Councillors declined to support officers' advice to agree approval of the scheme and instead agreed a motion which said they were "minded to refuse" the scheme but would defer the decision until officers drew up a report on the reasons for refusal. That is likely to come up at a future planning committee meeting when councillors are set to 'rubber-stamp' their rejection.