Fears have been raised for the future of the Braintree train line improvements and Hatfield Peverel station after funding for a new Beaulieu Park stop was announced.

Countryside and L&Q, which are building 3,600 homes at Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford, have announced that they will put £22million towards the new £45million mainline station.

It will be built with Network Rail and will have a four lane junction, rather than the usual two, to increase rail capacity.

Braintree Council leader Graham Butland believes the new mainline station, which could open by 2019, would make it more difficult for a Braintree loop to be installed, which would allow two trains per hour along the route.

He said: “Clearly what this demonstrates more clearly than anything we have done is that you don’t get infrastructure unless you are willing to take houses.

“That funding at Beaulieu Park is not because Countryside are being generous but because they are building a huge housing estate.

“That is the hard choice that people have to make.”

He added: “I suspect more people will travel down the Great Leighs bypass and Beaulieu Park and get on the mainline there.

“But our survey shows there would still be an economic case for the loop even if Beaulieu is built.

“I do wonder what impact it would have on Hatfield Peverel as the next station up on the line, will it remain open?”