COUNCIL bosses have failed to take into account the impact building 43,000 new homes in north Essex would have on the Braintree to Witham corridor, a hearing has been told.

Independent planning inspector Roger Clews has reopened an examination into Braintree, Colchester and Tendring councils’ garden communities proposals.

The authorities hope to convince Mr Clews their plan to build 10,000 homes to the west of Braintree, 24,000 at Marks Tey and a further 9,000 to the east of Colchester, is sound and will help with housing supplies for the next 50 years.

The hearing, which began last Tuesday, has focused on a number of key issues, such as the need for housing, employment and transport systems.

Braintree and Witham Green leader James Abbott was invited to speak during the hearing on infrastructure where he insisted those behind the garden communities had failed to address concerns about the impact the scheme would have on the roads between Braintree and Witham.

Mr Abbott, who is the opposition leader on Braintree Council, said: “A lot of emphasis has been on the A12 and A120 but not other roads.

“We are particularly concerned about the Witham to Braintree corridor and the cumulative impact of west of Braintree.

“I appreciate most of the traffic won’t go that way but a proportion will so that will add to existing pressure on the network.

“The B1018 is the main road that goes between Braintree and Witham and that is already suffering significant peak-time congestion, particularly around Braintree and at Witham.

“We already know the limitations of the current A120 going east.”

He added: “We have significant concerns about the cumulative impact of traffic growth.

“There are no plans to upgrade the B1018 or the Braintree to Witham branch line. We think the local plan has completely avoided looking at the pressure on that area.”

Council bosses have proposed building a new rapid transport system using buses and trams to address concerns over increased traffic if the new garden communities get the go-ahead.