A new planning committee has been criticised after failing to listen to council officers' recommendations.

Planning decisions going against the planning department's recommendations have more than doubled since the new development control committee was formed after the May elections.

By going against recommendations the committee could leave the council open to paying costs to applicants if an inspector at an appeal hearing considers there to have been unreasonable behaviour by the council.

John Dobbs, who is campaigning against the development of 24 homes by Cosy Developments, on the former Windsor School site in Holland Road, Clacton, hit out at the councillors.

"This is a fledgling committee and the people on it don't really know what they are doing," he said.

"Planning development should give this town something to be proud of, but the education of the councillors doesn't seem to be happening.

"The people of this town are frustrated at the naivety of the planning committee.

"These councillors are making a decision on something I don't think they understand or want to understand."

In the five meetings of the development control committee since the election councillors have decided on 40 applications.

They have gone against recommendations or deferred making a decision on 52 per cent of applications brought before the committee.

In the eight months leading up to the elections the previous committee made decisions on 44 applications, of which only 27 per cent went against officer recommendations.

Nigel Brown, Tendring Council's communications manager, said following the elections only three of the 18 members of the new committee were retained from the previous committee.

"This is precisely why following the elections the council initiated a detailed training programme for all new members," he said.

He added that the planning applications to be determined by the committee are generally the more complex applications, and that members often wish to defer to undertake a site visit.

Mr Brown argued the council has a good planning appeal record and that in recent years it has increased the number of successful planning appeals.

"In 2007/8 we have a success rate of around 75 per cent - winning three out of every four planning appeals considered," he said.