Campaigning residents say controversial plans for 1,100 homes should be treated as a brand new application after flooding plans were removed.

An amended application for the North Heybridge Garden Suburb is set to be re-determined by Maldon District Council.

The original plans were approved in December 2016.

But developer Countryside Properties has backtracked on plans to implement a flood alleviation scheme on the land, leading to the council saying it would rule on the bid again.

As a result, in September Maldon District Council lost out on a £7.3m central government grant to fund the scheme.

Don Benson, chair of the Heybridge Residents Association, believes the slate should be wiped clean with the bid.

He said: “The changes to the initial application from 2015, including the abandonment of the flood alleviation scheme, surely indicate the application should be dealt with as a new planning application from Countryside Properties and dealt with by Maldon District Council as such.

“Apparently, this issue was decided by Countryside’s and Maldon District Council’s legal teams.

“Practical and common sense seem to have been discarded.”

The development is one of two new communities which would create 2,600 new homes in the district. The other homes are proposed to be located in South Maldon.

The public consultation for the amended plan ended on Wednesday, October 31.

The application will soon be put before an extraordinary planning committee at Maldon District Council.

A spokesman for the council said: “The council will consider all responses which have been made during the public consultation as part of the determination of this application by members.”

Mr Benson aired his frustration with the issue, saying he did not believe the community had been included enough during the consultation.

He said: “What a mess this whole situation is developing in to. We have continually tried to be involved with Maldon District Council in this matter, but constantly denied even though there is Government legislation which supports involvement by local associations such as we are.”

Other residents have argued the timescale for the consultation was not long enough.