OPPOSITION to a controversial bid to 600 homes on green farmland is ramping up.

Although the plans are still in a pre-application phase, Parker Strategic Land (PSL) wants to develop land north of Kelvedon station, off Coggeshall Road.

It is believed the bid is part of a wider plan to develop up to 5,000 homes around the site.

The overall project would see a new town created, named Kings Dene.

However, the plans are already receiving strong opposition, despite the application not yet being full validated.

Kelvedon resident Lynn Zanatta fears the development will ruin her family's fresh start.

Her family recently relocated from from the London borough of Havering to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

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They chose Kelvedon due to its "quintessentially English character and beautiful open spaces."

But now the family fear their London getaway could be ruined by the 600 homes bid with the site backing on to the family's new home.

Lynn said: "My husband and I, together with our four young children moved to Kelvedon last week.

"Our new home here in Kelvedon is on the edge of Newtown and our garden backs onto beautiful farmland.

"I was therefore absolutely dismayed to learn within the past few days via a local Facebook community group that there are proposals to build 600 houses on this land.

"Whilst I am aware of the need on a national and local level for more housing to be built, I simply cannot believe that building on such a greenfield site could be a favourable option.

"I can barely imagine the impact this would have on the character and identity of Kelvedon as an area, its residents in terms of their mental wellbeing and access to vital infrastructure and of course the devastating impact this would have on irreplaceable wildlife habitat and the ecostructure.

"Having been born in the Romford area of Havering and living there unto now all of my life, I have witnessed the considerable amount of housing development along the A12 corridor.

"The A12 is clearly close to becoming overburdened already. Parts of the A12 do not vaguely resemble a road that is safe and capable of safely dealing with the traffic it already bears; with sections of it narrow and poorly lit.

"We feel strongly that the heart of the village would be destroyed and that resources would be overstretched should this development proceed and that alternative sites such as local brownfield sites should instead be considered.

It comes as residents formed a new campaign group called Kelvedon Against Urban Sprawl (Kaus) in response to the proposed plans with a spokesman for the group saying "we don’t want to end up as a suburb of Witham."

As the bid is still in pre-application, the exact details of the housing plans remain unknown.