Claims the district needs 1,140 new homes a year are an “over-estimate,” a councillor has said.

Gladman Developments commissioned a study by planning consultants Barton Willmore that said Braintree Council would not meet demand by settling on a figure of about 880 a year.

The council is working on the next stage of its local plan to decide how many homes are needed and where they should be built in the coming decades.

Lady Patricia Newton, councillor responsible for for planning and housing, said: “There is a requirement for a substantial increase in the number of homes built, and this will be in line with the fully and objectively assessed need for housing in the district.

“The Local Plan not only looks at housing but at the necessary infrastructure and jobs growth needed to support this development.

“Developers will typically propose their own estimates based on their own methods and calculations, particularly in terms of development density, and these will not necessarily be in line with our predictions.

“The figure of 45 dwellings per hectare, for instance, is a large overestimate and the actual number would likely be nearer to 25-30 dwellings per hectare, and this would in turn be tailored to the characteristics of each site.”

Government guidelines suggest developers should aim for between 30 and 50 houses per hectare, with the upper limit more suitable for new settlements and eco-towns.

The council will agree a draft plan this summer which will then be open to public consultation before it is agreed early in 2017.