DEVELOPERS have expressed doubts about the council’s ability to deliver the five-year supply of land in its Local Development Plan (LDP).

A hearing was held last week at Three Rivers Golf and Country Club, in Cold Norton.

Planning inspector Simon Berkeley heard from the council, developers and residents about issue around the land supply.

If the council cannot satisfy the inspector it has allocated enough sites to meet demand for homes in the district, then developers are more likely to win planning permission to build homes not included in the Local Development Plan.

It was revealed the authority was expecting a supply of 1,833 homes from the strategic sites in Maldon, Heybridge and Burnham.

This, they said, was enough to deliver nearly six years of housing allocation in line with the 310 homes needed per year.

However, concerns were raised by a number of developers about the council’s ability to carry through with this allocation.

Jack Murphy, representing Gladman Developments, said: “I would just like to state our position. We have considerable concerns with the contribution of the strategic sites towards the housing supply.”

Nigel Jacobs, of Intelligent Land, added: “On one site they say they will deliver 108 homes in a year. This is a site that is promoted by one developer.

“You can go through all the national house builders, all of their annual reports. Most of them average around 30 homes per year. How on earth, when as an average a house builder delivers 32 homes in a year, are they going to manage 108? That is just not realistic in terms of the numbers.”

The site in question, Burnham West, is being developed by Pigeon Land, which was represented at the hearing by David Barker, of Evolution.

He stated that the developers would be contracting two house builders to do the work. They would start from opposite ends of the site, and therefore would be able to deliver the 108 homes per year stated in the LDP.

The council was also questioned over its estimate that 100 more houses in addition to those listed in the plan will be built each year.

Potential sites include closed industrial units which are taken over by housing developers.

Hearings are due to continue today, including into the controversial Primrose Meadow site, which has been put forward for housing.

Maldon resident Doug Ballinger said: “As a resident I use this open space often, and one way or another it has been left as that. It has been used and enjoyed by residents in that part of Maldon for years, and to develop on this piece of land would be wrong. It should be designated as open space for educational purposes, for football clubs and for other sports clubs. To include this would really be unjustified.”