BASILDON Council's planning committee has rejected proposals to demolish an old farmhouse and horse riding paddock to build houses as part of an ongoing battle with a developer, though not all its members are fully in agreement.

Inland Homes has appealed against refusal of the plans, sparking a legal process which mean the council had to formall debate and decide on a previous application.

The application is to redevelop Maitland Lodge in Southend Road, Great Burstead, and build 47 new homes.

A public inquiry set to start on Tuesday, 13 September.

Ahead of that, the planning committee voted to say it would have refused the application in June but it also considered updated plans submitted by the developer.

It agreed it still would have refused permission for the plans because they represented inappropriate development in the green belt.

According to a council report, the changes include adding feature windows to the proposed flats, a 1.8m high wall the boundary of some of the plots and increasing the amount of plants in the proposed open space.

However, this failed to convince some councillors of the scheme's appropriateness for the green belt.

Cllr Andrew Schrader said: "The previous reasons for refusal have not been overcome and the amended proposals here are so similar that it's like a game of spot the difference."

Cllr Adele Brown praised the scheme for its provision of 40 percent affordable housing, and said the council's lack of a five-year housing land supply would "weigh on the mind" of the inspector come the appeal.

She said: "It is very clear to me that at this time we need affordable homes in this borough, massively. That we have generations that are finding it difficult to remain in this borough".

Maitland Lodge is a detached two storey house located on the western side of Southend Road in Great Burstead, Billericay.

In addition to the demolition of Maitland Lodge and the 47 houses, the application is seeking permission for vehicle access onto Southend Road, as well as infrastructure and landscaping works.

According to an earlier report, an identical application was refused by the council in 2018, also over inappropriate development in the greenbelt. A new application was submitted last year.