A CONTROVERSIAL housing target to build 12,000 homes in Tendring could be slashed by more than 2,000.

Tendring Council was set to include the figure in its Local Plan, the blueprint for development across the district until 2032.

The council had originally hoped to include just 6,000 homes in its plan, but was told it would be rejected by planning inspectors, leaving the district without a plan and open to speculative developments.

The Government has since insisted it was not imposing homes on the district, but said it must follow evidence from its own Strategic Housing Assessment, which suggested 12,000 homes are needed.

Residents have hit out at the number, claiming it would lead to overdevelopment in rural parts of the district, and raised major concerns over there is the infrastructure in place to support an influx of new families.

But the 12,000 total – working out at 700 a year across the district – could now be reviewed.

An independent study by consultants Peter Brett Associates has suggested the housing need for Tendring is closer to 10,000 - around 600 a year.

Read the full story in the Clacton Gazette, out now.