NEW housing estates in the pipeline for the Tendring district are already reaching close to a third of the total needed for the district in the next 17 years.

Big applications for builds of up to 900 homes have been put to Tendring Council, or mooted for land in the area, while the authority is without an up-to-date Local Plan.

Concerns have been raised that the lack of an official document leaves the area open to “wildcard”

planning applications on sites unsuitable for building.

Without a Local Plan, the council has limited powers to refuse such developments.

There are currently plans to build more than 3,280 newhomes in Tendring.

These include a huge 900-home estate in Clacton and more than 800 homes in the village of Lawford.

According to an independent report released this week, the district needs 10,000 homes built in the next 17 years.

If all the current housing plans go ahead, it would reach a third of that total.