CONCERNED residents fear too many houses are planned for Burnham after an inspector ruled in favour of a six homes appeal.

An application was submitted to Maldon District Council to demolish a house on Maldon Road, Burnham to make way for an access road leading to construction of six new houses behind the existing row.

The application was rejected by the council, who stated it would not fit the character of the neighbourhood and could potentially be damaging to the area.

The applicant, Dr Hamid Latif appealed the decision, with planning inspector Graham Chamberlain allowing the development to go ahead.

Residents of Maldon Road fear the planned works could add more strain to the already crowded road.

Jennifer Gamble said: “People can wait for ages at junctions during peak periods just to pull out. Having another road leading to more houses there would only make things worse.”

Christopher Pickman said: “Burnham seems to be getting more and more houses, but little to support the people who would live in them.

“It’s a nice town to live in, but I fear the more houses that get built over green land, the more our already stretched services may suffer.

“It’s nice to know more people want to live here, but we need the means to accommodate them properly.”

The application has also been supported by some residents.

Keith Thacker said: “Some objectors comment that it is ‘unsustainable’ or wrong to demolish No.58, but such an attitude denies the owner, who is strongly supportive, to have a home that is better constructed and more suitable for their needs.

“The application is from a local doctor who has served the community’s needs for more than 40 years and wishes to build within his own back garden, which is largely laid to lawn.”