LEIGH is full up and no more flats should be built until more surgeries and schools are built, it is claimed.

A plan to demolish a car showroom and build an extra 14 flats was rejected with some calling for all building plans for homes in Leigh to be refused until the infrastructure is in place to cope.

Tory councillor Fay Evans, who represents West Leigh on Southend Council, spoke out as members of the development committee unanimously agreed to throw out plans to develop Bransons Cars showroom on London Road.

The application was to turn it into a part three-storey and part four-story flat block comprised of 14 apartments on the upper floors and two commercial units on the ground floor.

Councillor Fay Evans said: “This is similar to a number of other developments along London Road.

“We are developing and building more flats here but we haven’t got the infrastructure.

“We haven’t got the hospitals, we haven’t the GP clinics, we haven’t the education.

“When are we going to stop bringing all these people in when we haven’t the infrastructure to accommodate them?”

It comes shortly after the council received another planning application to redevelop another car showroom into housing, less than half a mile from Bransons at Estuary Cars.

Councillors unanimously rejected the plans in line with the recommendations from council officers who said planning permission should be refused due in part to the lack of disabled parking spaces, the lack of amenity space and the building’s “scale and bulk”.

Planning documents submitted by Skarchitects on behalf of the site owner describe the existing business that occupies the site as having a “negative impact on the residential amenity of the neighbours” and says a “downturn in second-hand car sales” has made the business “unviable”.

Bransons Cars declined to comment on the decision.

However other car dealerships have spoken about the decline.

Bob Johnson, 59, owner of Johnsons of Leigh on London Road, said earlier this week that used car dealerships are on a “downward spiral” due to rising demand for housing in the area which is pushing up the value of the land.

He compared the decline in car dealerships on London Road to the gradual loss of high street shops caused by the explosion of major supermarket chains.