Campaigners are urging the Government to reverse the decision to allow a huge 238-bed retirement village to be built.

Controversy surrounding the complex, off Maldon Road, in Burnham, has continued as residents have sought the backing of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire, over the plans, which were approved by Maldon District Council.

Mr Brokenshire will now have the final decision on the plans from Think Green Land, which will see 103 bungalows, a 70-bed care home, 55-unit independent living building, medical centre and leisure facilities built.

A spokesman for campaign group Say No, Burnham Deserves Better called on Mr Brokenshire to support their view and reject the plans.

He said: “A number of residents very unhappy with the council’s decision immediately wrote to James Brokenshire to ask that he determines the application, challenging the errors and false facts in the officer’s report and in particular pointing out they had not acted in accordance with the eight critical tests for accommodation for ‘specialist’ needs. The casework manager for the department has sent to a number of these residents an acknowledgement email, promising our concerns will be considered by Mr Brokenshire in the decision.”

In a letter to the secretary of state, Burnham town councillor Nick Skeens called for the village’s “ultimate rejection”. He said: “It is in clear breach of Burnham’s recently-approved Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) – the development is outside the agreed development zones.

“Crucially, despite these plans, Burnham has already far exceeded its agreed allocation for housing.

“People’s patience is wearing thin.

“What is the point of these development plans, only recently approved by the secretary of state and meant to have the force of law, with each plan the result of hundreds of hours of voluntary work by local citizens, if developers can drive a coach and horses through them with the approval of the local authority who drew up the plan? It simply doesn’t make sense.

“This really upsets local people and makes them think the entire NDP was a complete sham.”

Ian Holloway, project manager for Think Green Land, the developers behind the 238-bed retirement village, said: “We recognise the objections raised by some elements of the local community, although our own three-day survey, which was conducted immediately before the council’s decision to approve the development, indicated a considerable level of support for the retirement community amongst residents of Burnham.

“The planning system rarely deals in absolutes and although the site lies outside the settlement boundary established in the development plan, relevant adopted policies clearly permit development in the countryside if it is intended to address important community needs.

“Neither the Burnham Neighbourhood Plan nor the Local Development Plan make any specific provision via land allocations for any elderly persons’ accommodation. The planned retirement community will provide a range of bungalows, sheltered apartments and a care home with dementia wing specifically designed for and solely intended to house elderly persons of the district of all physical and mental abilities.

“It will considerably increase the stock of elderly persons accommodation.”