A bid to build 28 homes opposite a primary school in the Maldon district has been turned down, after residents raised concerns over traffic and pupil safety.

Mr Marven hoped to build the homes on his land at Manor Farm on Walden House Road, opposite Great Totham Primary School, in addition to a new 29-space car park for visitors to the school.

Mr Marven has lived in Great Totham all his life, and a statement submitted with the application says he is familiar with the "notorious" on-street parking problems that occur each day during school drop-off and pick-up times.

The statement says the upcoming development of 30 homes on the nearby Hall Road, approved in September last year, is "likely to result in further cars being attracted to the school due to the distance involved".

It says: "The school has no opportunities to provide for a car park for parents or even a drop-off point. This situation is unlikely to improve and there is no other means to resolve this difficulty."

It adds: "In far too many residential schemes it can be observed that while financial contributions can be secured, this rarely achieves any tangible benefits for the local community.

"In this instance the applicant is prepared to construct and provide a 29-space car park for local residents and parents.

"This will be a very real achievement not only in resolving a local difficulty but actually achieving something that will be used by the community on a daily basis."

11 of the 28 homes were proposed for social housing purposes, which would have all been two-beds.

Of the remaining 17 homes, there would have been five two-beds, four three-beds and eight four-bed properties.

The 35-acre farm is mainly grass, which is cropped for hay for the livestock feed industry.

But 46 residents submitted letters of objection on the plans, raising fears about additional traffic, safety and loss of green space.

One objector said: "The traffic problem is horrendous now - more houses, more traffic, more children to a full school means more chaos."

Another resident called the plans "a step too far".

She said: "This road is a nightmare at the best of times but with 28 dwellings, most of which would probably have two cars each, this is going to be unbearable."

The governing body of Great Totham Primary School also objected to the development, with a spokesperson for the group saying: "Our objections primarily concern the adverse impact of the development and associated traffic flow on the safety of children attending the school and the adverse impact on congestion, especially at school opening and closing times.

"There is also the additional risk to safety, additional congestion and disruption caused during the construction phase of the development."

The spokesperson raised concerns that the proposal would "make matters worse and undo a lot of the progress that has been achieved".

He added: "The school has taken a number of steps over the years to reduce this impact - including staff voluntarily undertaking activities that are beyond their defined jobs to protect the children and the relationships of the school with its neighbours."

Refusing the application, planning officers at Maldon District Council said: "The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the development would be acceptable in terms of highway safety and efficiency during school peak hours."

Officers said the site is in a sustainable location, but added that the development would "significantly harm the rural character of the area and have an unacceptable visual impact on the countryside through the urbanisation and domestication of the site".

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