PLANS to build 850 homes will see commuters stuck in traffic for hours on end every day, a councillor has warned.

A public consultation was opened last week into the plans to build 850 homes west of Benfleet on Jotmans Farm.

Forty per cent of the new homes will be affordable, according to developers Persimmons and Redrow.

The land, which has been identified for development in the draft local plan, is currently undeveloped.

New access will be created from the A130 to the west of the site with a new roundabout on the main road to serve the development, but councillor Russell Savage says the road network will be unable to cope with such a large influx of new homes.

He said: “In terms of infrastructure, we haven’t got the road network to support our residents as it is.

“You have only got to go down the A130 at 4pm on any given day to see just how bad the traffic is. It’s constantly bottled up and if we put another roundabout in to serve all these new homes, it’s going to have a massively detrimental impact on residents’ lives, who will be stuck in jams for hours on end if it goes ahead.

“All of that congestion and pollution, it will be awful.”

He added: “I have received numerous objections to this development by email. A lot of the residents locally are shocked to see just how big it is going to be.”

In 2017 residents campaigned to have plans to build 265 homes in Jotmans Farm thrown out by Castle Point Council, but now with council struggling to meet government home building targets, the land looks set for development.

Plans put forward for the local plan development also include a new primary school, a nursery, and medical facilities.

Resident Steven Aldridge said: “It’s already a pain using that road at the best of times, and I have to say we are all shocked they think it can handle that many new homes.”

The 37-year-old IT consultant who drives to London every day for work added: “I hope they look at alleviated traffic on the A130 before moving forward with this.”

To have your say, visit: www.westofbenfleet.consultationonline.co.uk/virtual-exhibition/