Campaigners are celebrating after a controversial planning application for 1,600 homes was refused.

Councillors unanimously voted against the outline application for the Brook Green development at a planning meeting on Tuesday, which would have seen the homes built on land either side of Flitch Way, Braintree.

The application was submitted in 2015 by Acorn Braintree Ltd and included plans to build a primary school and designate some land for businesses.

A spokesman for the No Brook Green campaign, via social media, said: “Braintree Council has declined the outline planning application for Brook Green on no less than seven planning grounds.

“Not one councillor on the planning committee voted for the development.

“Members of the public packed the committee room to hear well presented arguments against Brook Green.

“The developer could only offer one representation.

“We fully expect them to appeal, so the battle is far from over.

“They will have a very tough time overcoming the seven reasons for objection though.”

Acorn Braintree would have also funded a new A120 sliproad from Millennium Way to help ease traffic congestion in the area.

But the application amassed 410 objection comments online, not including a petition with more than 1,500 signatures organised by No Brook Green.

Residents argued against the plans, with the majority of objections showing concern for surrounding greenbelt land and Flitch Way, a 15 mile walking route and

Ward councillor Ron Ramage voted against the application, but expressed some concernover an expected appeal.

He said: “We want a green buffer between the villages and the main towns.

“This development would have encroached right into that and it is important that we still keep that there.

“I was very impressed with how organised the campaigners were, but with the development there were so many things wrong with it.

“It was indicated there were seven major issues.

“One big issue was the Flitch Way is an asset to the community and it would have been swallowed up by it in the end.

“Overall I think it was the right result.”

The Acorn Group did not respond to a request for comment before the Times went to print.

It is not yet known if an appeal will be lodged with the Planning In- spectorate.