GREEN belt in Castle Point no longer exists a developer claims after a planning policy confirming its existence was allegedly scrapped.

Fox Land and Property have launched an appeal after Castle Point Council refused plans to build 165 homes on green belt land between Sadlers Farm roundabout and Glebelands, in Benfleet.

To fight their case, the company has submitted a 97-page report and supplementary evidence to the Government’s planning inspector.

Shocking allegations have been made by the developer that technically there is no green belt in Castle Point as they claim there is no policy in the council’s planning framework which defines where and what the green belt is.

Concerns have been raised it could leave other green belt sites in the borough, such as the Dutch Village in Canvey and Jotmans Farm in Benfleet vulnerable.

Martyn Twigg, planning manager for Fox Land and Property, said in the report: “I can identify no development plan policy in the Local Plan which provides for and defines the detailed Green Belt boundaries in Castle Point.

“This is real and important issue and it is right that I provide evidence to the inquiry to address whether or not the Green Belt exists in the borough.”

The council is currently compiling a new development framework for the borough to replace its 1998 Local Plan which is out of date.

Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act the Secretary of State has safeguarded policies from the old plan until the new document is finished.

However, the developer alleges the only policy which properly defined and confirmed there is any green belt in the borough – Policy GB1 - was not retained as the council said it duplicated a clause in another planning document.

Fox Land and Property admit there is a map showing the boundaries of the green belt but argue this is not a policy.

They also argue when the plans for Glebelands were refused, the council did not say the plans breached green belt development policies.

Steve Guest, co-founder of the Glebelands and Sadlers Green Belt campaign, said: “I would be deeply concerned, if is exists, if Fox have found a legal loophole and get this passed on a technicality.

“I hope the decision makers, the planning inspector, would use a common sense approach and see this is not justifiable grounds for destroying land which we all regard as our green belt.”

A spokesman from the council: "We do not accept this claim and it would be wrong of us to discuss issues that will be fully addressed at the forthcoming inquiry.

"However, it would be fundamentally at odds with Government Policy about the permanence of Green Belt to adopt an interpretation which led to Green Belt being deallocated as a side effect of the updating of Local Development Plans."