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An estate agent in Essex has caused a stir by backing a local campaign to stop more homes being build, a move that even the initiative’s director has described as ‘ironic’.
Two-year-old firm Acasa Homes has paid for 200 boards to be erected around its home town of Rochford near Basildon in Essex calling for planning permission to be revoked for a 660-home development by Bloor Homes.
Acasa Homes’ founder Hugo Rodrigues has admitted to local media that ‘it doesn’t make sense’ for an estate agent to be opposing the building of new homes but that the town’s infrastructure cannot support any more people living in the town.
“We’re hoping that because we’re an estate agent, it has a positive effect on the campaign,” he told the local newspaper.
“When it comes to the development, there’s no common sense and it’s stupid.
“It doesn’t add anything to the town. There are no new schools or GP surgeries and the road runs right through the town. It’s baffling.”
Melanie English, the organiser of the campaign, says she is ‘delighted’ with the support of Acasa Homes, but has admitted: “It’s ironic that an estate agency is opposing houses being built”.
The campaign is seeking to reverse Rochford District Council’s adopted local developments plan, which includes the Bloor Homes site.
The council’s leader has rejected calls to stop any more homes being built in the area, claiming that £10 million has been extracted from developers so far to fund local amenities and infrastructure projects.
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