Plans to build a new housing estate in Thurrock have been deferred by the council after concerns were raised about the availability of GP surgeries.

The proposed estate would be made up of 102 homes and built on a disused site next to Moore Avenue and Devonshire Road in South Stifford.

The application had been recommended for approval by council planning officers but when a resident and ward councillor highlighted that the availability of doctors and dentists are strained, the committee agreed that the NHS needs to be consulted before a decision can be made.

A planning officer said the NHS had been asked about the development but had not responded in time for the meeting.

Councillor Gerard Rice, who proposed the deferral, said: “We are not talking about one or two homes, we’re talking about 100 homes with no doctor facilities, which can’t be right.”

The estate would have been comprised of 48 flats, 12 four-bed houses, 32 three-bed houses and 10 two-bed homes.

The application was submitted by Bellway Homes Limited in June after a previous application was given outline planning approval to build 75 homes on the site in December last year.

The developer noted in a planning statement: “The provision of 102 new dwellings at the site will significantly contribute to the local housing supply and will assist in meeting the Council’s housing need.”

Eight letters of objection were received in response to the plans, with residents highlighting concerns over privacy, congestion and parking.

However, the council’s highways officer has not raised any objections over the proposal and planning officers noted that the development would be positioned far enough from Moore Avenue to not be “harmful” to nearby properties.

A resident who spoke against the application during the meeting said: “We opposed the previous application for 75 now they have an application where they have increased the number to 102 - there seems to be no consideration for residents.”

“Traffic conditions will be an issue no matter how many studies they do, we know as residents what the traffic situation is like.

"We struggle to get doctor appointments and dentist appointments, this will only make that worse."