DETAILS and images of a housing estate plan-ned on Thundersley green belt have been revealed.

Earlier this month, the Echo reported Barratt Homes wanted to build 239 new homes on the controversial site, north of Daws Heath Road.

Residents have been running a high-profile campaign to protect the area since it was first targeted for development almost two years ago.

Lead campaigner Simon Hart, 45, said: “Building here would break the true function of the green belt, which is to stop neighbouring areas merging into one another.

“This estate would join the three communities of Hadleigh, Thundersley and Daws Heath.

“They can’t be allowed to build on this important bit of green belt.”

The proposed estate would be made up of 155 three and four-bedroom houses, for private sale.

A further 42 homes – flats and houses – would be rented, probably by a housing association, and another 42 – also a mixture of flats and houses – would be classed as affordable housing, sold through subsidised schemes, such as part buy, part rent.

If Castle Point Council approved the plans, a new road would be built through the estate, linking Daws Heath Road and Stadium Way.

Barratt argues the road would boost the area’s infrastructure by easing congestion around the busy Woodmans mini-roundabouts.

But campaigners believe the number of new homes would add to traffic problems at the Woodmans and at Rayleigh Weir.

Mr Hart, of Daws Heath Road, added: “The road going through the middle will be a nightmare for traffic and I don’t know how Stadium Way will cope with that on top of the traffic from Sainsbury’s.”

Campaigners are also sceptical about proposed measures to mitigate the impact on the environment.

A 2.5m-wide corridor of shrubs and trees would run around the perimeter of the site and three further corridors would cross the site to allow the badgers to move around.

An area to the north west of the site, bordered by Rayleigh Road, and an area to the south east, alongside Daws Heath Road, would be left undeveloped.

Barratt’s planning consultant, Fluid, states: “This brings together a development with nature at its heart, providing us with a distinctly green scheme.”

But Mr Hart added: “There will be so much noise, the badgers will leave.”