Braintree Council will continue to work on garden community plans which were described as “unjustified and unsound” by a planning inspector.

Council leader Graham Butland used his delegated powers to personally make the decision, discarding options to abandon the garden communities project or start again.

Instead the council will pause the process and go back to the inspector with new evidence on the areas which required work.

The decision was discussed at a full council meeting on Monday evening.

Cllr Butland said: “The residents of this district tell me time and time again they need better roads, more public transport, easier access to healthcare and quality school places for their children.

“I firmly believe the garden communities are the best way of delivering this.

“The alternative is adding large scale housing estates to our towns and villages in bigger numbers than most will have ever seen before.

“We know this isn’t the future many of our residents want, and we also know this piecemeal approach is having an increasingly negative impact on our services and infrastructure.”

The local plan will act as a blueprint for development up until 2033, but a planning inspector ruled further work was needed in its viability, infrastructure and the sustainability appraisal.

Garden communities will be built in west Braintree, the Colchester and Braintree border, and on the border for Colchester and Tendring.

The inspector also raised concerns about the certainty of funding for the A120 and for the routing of the A12 as it travels from Feering around Marks Tey.

Braintree Council now says it is in discussions with Essex County Council, Highways England and the Department for Transport about the issue.

Cllr Butland added: “The inspector has asked us to consider whether other scenarios for growth are reasonable to be considered within the sustainability appraisal (SA) and to look at the scoring of those options.

“To do this with fresh eyes the Inspector has suggested it may be better to appoint new consultants and so this is what we intend to do.

“As part of the process for undertaking this work there would be engagement with local groups and statutory bodies as well as a formal period of consultation on the completed piece of work.”

The work, which Braintree Council believes can be done in three months, could result in changes to the local plan and would need to be considered by council members.