Plans to build five bungalows in a Maldon district village have been turned down by Maldon District Council, after a similar application was refused in August.

Woodhill Estates initially submitted an application in April to build five two-bedroom bungalows on the land to the west of Primrose House on Burnham Road in Latchingdon, but this was refused by the council.

The company revised the application in September to instead propose five three-bedroom bungalows on the same site, which it said is "directly in response to the council's change in demographic need".

They said the development "constitutes well-designed, targeted housing provision in the right place and at the right time".

Planning officers at the council have, however, rejected the application once again - after raising concerns about the development urbanising its rural surroundings and the impact it would have on neighbours.

They said: "This form of development would be urban in character and appearance and would lead to consolidation of the urban form and encroachment of development into the rural area, thereby detrimentally harming its intrinsic beauty."

They added that the development would have a "detrimental impact" on neighbouring residents, who would be subjected to "noise and disturbance by reason of increased vehicular and pedestrian activity which would not represent good design, nor provide a high-quality living arrangement for future and existing occupiers".

Two neighbouring residents submitted letters of objection to the plans.

One objector wrote: "The bungalows are supposed to be retirement homes, but they have gone from a two-bed to a three-bed, how is this so?

"How is that a retirement home?

"I believe building more properties on such a tight blind bend is going to cause more accidents than before and become a dangerous bend for other residents that already live on Burnham Road."

She added: "The forever growing of new housing developments in the Latchingdon area has got to the point where enough is enough.