A LAND promoting agent is pledging to answer residents' concerns over a possible 5,000 homes in the countryside.

Lightwood Strategic is promoting the development of a garden community in Pattiswick.

Residents, including the Campaign Against Urban Sprawl in Essex, spoke out in objection, saying infrastructure would suffer and the countryside would be ruined.

Phil Chichester, from Lightwood Strategic, said: "Whilst significant housing is required in the area to meet future needs, Lightwood agree with CAUSE that hundreds of homes cannot be lumped together without appropriate infrastructure- houses before infrastructure cannot produce sustainable growth. "The council, planners and developers must look at infrastructure and pressures on the local community before building.

"Lightwood has already addressed solutions to relieve congestion along the A120 and improving infrastructure."

He said Lightwood understands local concerns over the emerging options, which challenge how the sites could possibly come forward with appropriate up front infrastructure.

He said: "The land at Monks Wood is free from any contractual or land ownership constraints, making the site unique to the current competition.

"Without the pressure of consortium agreements, shareholders and developers, the site could be truly locally led.

"It is clear large scale development in the form of a garden community will be required to cope with demand pressures, however the resultant development is still very much in the public's control."

Lightwood is seeking to form a partnership with the council to deliver the site as a controlled development.