A PROPOSAL to build nine detached homes on the former Brooklyn Kennels site in Horndon on the Hill has been recommended for refusal.

Planning officers concluded the scheme would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt and fail key national policy tests.

Thurrock Council's planning committee will consider the application on Tuesday (10 March), where officers will advise that the plans from Pyrmont Homes Ltd should be rejected due to substantial harm to the green belt, an unsustainable location, and the absence of any affordable housing.

The developer is seeking full permission to demolish the existing greyhound boarding kennels and associated structures on Black Bush Lane and build nine two storey homes — three three bed and six four bed properties.

An existing chalet style dwelling would remain, creating a ten home enclave served by a new access road and internal loop layout.

The 1.6-acre site sits outside the village boundary in a semi rural area characterised by scattered homes, woodland and agricultural fields. Although parts of the land qualify as Previously Developed Land, officers note this only applies to a portion of the plot, with significant areas open and undeveloped.

Officers say that, crucially, while the land meets the definition of grey belt — a category introduced in the 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to distinguish areas of green belt with weaker strategic function — the development still fails the additional requirements necessary for homes to be deemed "not inappropriate".

Officers say the site is not a sustainable location, with no pavements, street lighting or safe pedestrian routes, and no nearby public transport links. They argue future residents would be wholly reliant on private cars, breaching NPPF guidance.

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The scheme also fails the NPPF's "Golden Rules" for major developments, which require affordable housing, infrastructure contributions and new or improved green space. No affordable housing has been offered despite the site exceeding the 1.2 acre threshold that triggers such obligations.

In addition, officers say the proposed layout—with closely spaced two storey homes arranged around a loop road—would appear "overly urban" and out of character with the surrounding countryside. They warn it would significantly increase built form, causing "substantial harm" to the openness of the green belt.

Although the applicant cites 'very special circumstances', including housing need and site clean up, officers conclude these "do not clearly outweigh the harm."