A former poet laureate has joined residents’ fight to prevent rapid overdevelopment of their village.

Sir Andrew Motion, who held the prestigious title between 1999 and 2009, has backed villagers fight against Gladman Developments bid to build 140 homes at Stonepath Meadow, Hatfield Peverel.

Sir Andrew, who grew up in Stisted, wrote a blog post for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), where he called for more power for communities on things like housing.

The blog said: “Volunteers spend a great deal of time and effort in promoting good development - assessing housing needs and negotiating sites that respect settlement boundaries and preserve valued green spaces.

“So it is deeply disheartening that the revised Nation Planning Policy Framework could allow authorities to overrule neighbourhood plans, either when local plans are reviewed or if not enough homes are delivered elsewhere.”

He added communities were being targeted by “parasitic” developers whose financial might means they can “steamroller” opposition.

“What is most frustrating is that most communities are usually supportive of the right development in the right place,” he said.

“In my home county of Essex, CPRE has been supporting the village of Hatfield Peverel in its fight against 140 homes promoted by speculators on a beloved field known as Stonepath Meadow.

“People want to see a nearby brownfield site prioritised for affordable housing instead, and have gone to the trouble of producing a neighbourhood plan to show how this could be achieved.”

The Secretary of State is currently considering a decision on Stonepath Meadow.

Kevin Dale, Stone Path Meadow Residents Group, said: “That our particular case was called-in indicates grave concerns over this case, where potential developers are abusing the planning system, are failing to respect the wishes of the community and appear intent to build on valuable and irreplaceable countryside.”