Residents were celebrating today after Southend Council refused to allow a bungalow on an exclusive estate to be demolished and replaced with houses.

A petition was mounted against the plans on the Burges Estate, in Thorpe Bay, and 103 objections raised to the chalet-style bungalow, in St Augustine's Avenue, being replaced with three detached houses.

Southend Council's development control committee last night agreed to refuse planning permission because the plans were an "over-development" of the area and not in keeping with its character.

Another planning application has now been submitted to the council to replace the building with two houses instead of three.

Published Thursday, January 9, 2003

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