THE Planning Inspectorate has overruled a unanimous decision by elected councillors in Thurrock to block an increase in the number of homes on a site earmarked for development.

It is a decision that ends months of wrangling by housing developer St Modwen Homes who were branded 'greedy' by councillors who opposed their own officers' recommendation for approval for the site on the former Ford factory in South Ockendon.

St Modwen had obtained planning permission for the site earlier but came back to the council wanting to squeeze more flats onto the plot rather than the separate houses that councillors felt were needed and were more appropriate for the development off Arisdale Avenue.

St Modwen wanted 92 homes made up of 86 flats, two three bed homes and four two bed homes. Councillors wanted less flats and the somewhere near the 31 houses that were promised in the approved application.

Councillors even gave St Modwen the opportunity to reconsider their application and come back with a compromise but though they 'tinkered' with the outline plan, councillors felt they had failed to compromise and at a meeting in February threw out the whole application.

The committee chair, Cllr Tom Kelly said: "We are not just here to reject homes or to approve homes but to approve good development. We have to look our residents in the eye and say we are approving good development and this doesn't hit the mark."

Councillors were against the increased density of the plan and felt that the parking that would accompany the development would cause 'chaos' in the area.

However, those arguments have been rejected by the Planning Inspectorate after St Modwen went to appeal.

The inspector's ruling said: "'This is a good example where an opportunity to deliver additional units by an increase in density has been identified and successfully designed so as to integrate into the character of an existing housing development, with no adverse visual effects."

He also dismissed councillors' local knowledge and fears about parking, saying: "While I note comments made by members I observed the site lies in a location close to public transport links with South Ockendon rail station a short walk to the north and with regular bus services available along Arisdale Avenue.

"It is also close to adequate services and facilities to serve the scale of this development being within 1 kilometre of South Ockendon Town Centre."

The Inspector added: "I also give some weight to the report to the council's relevant committee which stated the council's officers were not aware of any ongoing parking issues on the development."

The defeat at appeal stage was not unexpected as in July councillors were advised by officers that they could not come up with admissible reasons to defend the councillors' decision. On the back of that, it was decided not to defend the appeal and that meant that St Modwen withdrew their application for costs.