Councillors fear a sports pavilion proposed as part of a 350 home development in an Essex village may never be used.

The planning committee at Uttlesford District Council decided not enough questions had been answered by applicant Bloor Homes over the Elsenham facilities which will be built to support new junior football pitches if the plans are approved.

Councillors raised further concerns over visitor parking at a 56-capacity primary school, also being proposed as part of the development, which as it stands would double as drop-off points for parents, and voted unanimously to defer the planning application yesterday.

Additional reasons for the deferral included concerns that councillors did not have enough time to fully consider a number of documents submitted close to the meeting, and that a potential path through Hailes Wood could be stopped at any point by the landowner.

Leader of the council and Elsenham and Henham ward councillor Petrina Lees (Residents for Uttlesford) attended the meeting to request the deferral.

According to Cllr Lees, the chairman of Elsenham football club felt facilities such as showers and changing rooms would “almost never be used” by the junior players using the new pitches.

She said: “What we’ve got is something that looks lovely on the plan, as if they’ve given us something marvellous, but actually it’s not going to be used and it’s a bit of white elephant.”

Alex Clark, Design and Technical Director at Bloor Homes, said the pavilion had been designed to meet Sports England specifications and that Bloor had additionally engaged with Essex FA and Elsenham Parish Council.

He said: “I am proud to present to you today a scheme which has been subject to a very detailed consultation and refinement throughout the process, to ensure that the scheme before you today is the very best it can be for all concerned.”

The application, which includes land reserved for the primary school, has already been granted outline planning permission on appeal.

Officers said they did not know when a primary school would be built on the site.

Councillor Judy Emanuel (RfU, Newport) said: “Overall I like the layout, I like the fact it’s got a central green, I like the fact there’s a primary school, I like the fact there’s early years.

“I am concerned that there isn’t a specific drop zone for driving to school, because people will drive to the school whether you want them to or not.”

She also said the scheme was overly reliant on triple tandem parking.

Additionally, Elsenham Parish Council felt it had not been given enough time to consider over 100 documents which were submitted late into the planning process, 54 of which were uploaded onto the council’s website two days before the meeting.

Councillor Graham Mott said at the meeting the parish council was not notified that they had been submitted.

Every home would have solar panels on the roof, according to Mr Clark.

Of the 350 homes, 150 would be affordable homes, in line with the council’s requirement for 40 per cent of major developments to be affordable.