Maldon residents 'angry' as houses built overlooking homes

Houses are being constructed on land adjacent to Kings Road in Southminster after plans were approved by Maldon District Council for eight dwellings.

While previous applications for the site received as many as 19 objections, the latest, which was approved, received only one comment, with residents saying they were “completely unaware” of the new application.

Shocked - Sarah had initially been okay with an earlier planning application for bungalows and chalets (Image: Sarah Marin) Sarah Marin, 38, lives in Primrose Walk nearby to Kings Road, and has two young daughters, aged six and ten.

Sarah said when she first moved into her home in January 2021, she was made aware of a potential planning application for the land behind her house after receiving letters in the post.

After that application was rejected, for the second planning application, there was a planning notice “on the lamppost right outside” her house.  

But for the third and fourth applications, there were only notices in the road behind her property, so she says she didn’t know about the new plans until it was "too late".

Worried - Sarah and Ed are worried about the privacy of their daughters' bedrooms (Image: Sarah Marin) Sarah said: “I feel frustrated and gutted, to be honest.

“Two properties look directly into our kitchen and bedrooms, one of them is my six-year-old daughter’s room.

“It’s really frustrating and its really stressful.

“When we moved in, we were okay with the original plans on the basis they were supposed to be bungalows and chalet buildings at a lower level.

“The properties in place are now practically three storeys with two floors and windows in the roof, and there are now eight, not seven.

“I’m thinking of having some privacy film installed on the back of my house and for my little girl so she can have privacy in her room.”

Scary - Sarah shared the new houses can also see into her kitchen (Image: Sarah Marin) She continued: “I feel the whole situation was really poorly handled from the start with Maldon District Council.

“They changed the plans and didn’t make us aware, so we had no chance to object.

“One of the frustrating things is the original plans in 2020 got rejected on the basis of overlooking other properties and overdevelopment.

“Our privacy is completely gone, so it’s quite scary.

“We have all been directly impacted.”

Other residents added the construction has “dramatically” impacted their lives and left them feeling “despair and disbelief”, with at least four households complaining to the council.

Anger - Residents are frustrated with the lack of notices from the council (Image: Chris Parish) Chris Parish, 78, lives in Buttercup Way, also near Kings Road, and said he is “very angry” about the new constructions.

He said: “It’s a nightmare.

“Not knowing about this application is the most frustrating thing – the only planning notice was hidden away.

“It met requirements of distance from the site, but it was right on the other side of it from me so it wasn’t visible at all.

“One of the early applications had a notice on a lamppost two doors up from me.

“It was a surprise to everyone when the building started, and the scaffolding started going up.

“It’s the shock of that happening, but also the lack of interest from the council, who should be representing our interests.”

Surprised - Chris and Jane Parish's house is on the opposite side of the site to where the application notice was posted (Image: Chris Parish) Residents from several roads surrounding the site complained to the council, but said they “had a great deal of trouble” in getting a response from the planning office, until a councillor intervened.

 They elevated their complaints to Stage 2 after being unsatisfied with the council’s “dismissive” response.

A spokesman for Maldon District Council said: “It can be confirmed that Maldon District Council is investigating complaints from four different households in Southminster concerning the process used to determine a planning application on a site next to 55 Kings Road. 

“Maldon District Council is guided by planning law as to how it promotes planning applications received in the district.

Site - Residents on all surrounding roads have complained about the development (Image: Google Maps) “In compliance with planning law for this application, the council published the application in the planning weekly list available from the council's planning website, as well as via a site notice fixed to a lamppost on Kings Road, Southminster, close to the development site.

“This notice was fixed to the same lamppost used to promote the previous application for seven dwellings in 2023 which the residents refer to.   

“The council is monitoring the development to determine if it is being built in accordance with the plan's approved on March 27, 2024, and we will be responding formally to their Stage 2 complaint once it has completed its investigation.”