A COUNCILLOR has vowed to stop an access road to a controversial 120-home development being built.

Joanne McPherson, Conservative councillor for Foulness and the Wakerings, says plans for 120 new homes off Barrow Hall Road, in Great Wakering, will put lives in danger.

Sanctuary Housing has been given the go-ahead for the range of one, two, three and four-bed properties on land off the narrow country road.

However, councillors stipulated the permission should be conditional and called for alterations to deter vehicles from turning left into Barrow Hall Road where some parts of the road are less than 4 metres wide and so narrow two vehicles can’t pass each other.

An Essex County Council highways report has since told councillors that most residents would turn right towards Southend, but Ms McPherson says there is no evidence to support that theory and councillors must “put on their big boy pants” and stand up to highways.

She said: “Access has not yet been approved. Condition 45 was to address suggestions put forward which highways have disregarded. They can’t just do that. They have to come back to the development control committee.

“Highways are meant to be experts, but if they don’t agree with what is recommended by local councillors they should come back with alternatives.

“How do they know people will turn right? Are they clairvoyant?”

Suggestions to help alleviate the problems have included lay-bys to allow vehicles to pull in to allow others to pass and barriers to make vehicles give way to oncoming traffic.

The banning of all but essential heavy goods vehicles has also been proposed. Ms McPherson added: “They may have permission for the development, but at the moment they have no access to it and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that doesn’t happen unless it is safe.

“This plan will just add to the danger on that road.”