PLANS to build almost 18,000 new homes across Basildon have been axed by the Tories who claim they will protect green belt land and stop further tower block developments.

Councillors voted on Thursday evening to withdraw the borough’s housing plan, which had been eight years in the making.

However, the council has been ordered to hold off on scrapping the plans, while the legality of the bid to cut the local plan is set out in a report.

The Basildon Local Plan set out proposals for at least 17,791 new homes to be built before 2034.

The plan consisted of building 8,612 new homes on green belt land, with 9,179 homes built in Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea, Billericay and Wickford.

The Tory administration introduced a last-minute emergency motion at full council to scrap the plans and pursue a new plan for the borough to address “town centre regeneration and highrise developments”, according to council leader Andrew Baggott.

Mr Baggott said: “The reason for the withdrawal is based upon, in part, the current Conservative administration’s views and beliefs in placing a greater emphasis on protecting the green belt for current and future generations that the previous administration.

“A paradox has emerged between air quality and intense development. We have had DEFRA breathing down our necks on issues of air quality, while at the same time the Government demands more housing without infrastructure in place to cope.”

He added that the Government’s recent levelling up White Paper had given the council the confidence to “protect its green belt land”.

Mayor David Dadds said: “Without changing the plan, it was unsustainable. This plan, as it is, is a mixture of a number of administrations for almost eight years. It is a plan from 2014, it is tired, it is dated.”

Labour leader Jack Ferguson questioned why the Conservative administration had taken so long to move to scrap the local plan.

He said: “I am surprised that 290 days into this administration we are given this amendment. For 289 of them, it hadn’t been spoken about. Why now?”

Councillor Kerry Smith said: “Councillor Baggot has thrown taxpayers’ money down the drain that had gone into devising and working on the current plan.”