North Weald Parish Council is set to spend £2,000 on legal advice following concern over two areas being excluded from their Neighbourhood Plan.

Epping Forest District Council confirmed that Latton Priory and the Harlow gateway site off the A414 London Road will not be included in the North Weald's Neighbourhood Plan as they remain strategic sites for possible development, at a meeting last month.

Councillors announced today that they are seeking legal advice due to concerns that the two significant parts of the parish will be developed on after being removed from their Neighbourhood Plan area.

A letter from planning consultants, which was delivered to a parish council meeting on Monday, revealed that land at Latton Priory could see up to 2,250 homes erected.

As well as the homes the land could also see the development of a business park, schools, healthcare facilities, open spaces and recreational areas with 'significant investment' in highways and junction improvements.

Councillors have so far received 60 responses regarding the plan with 56 residents saying it wrong for the areas to be excluded.

North Weald Parish Council voted to spend around £2,000 on obtaining specialist planning advice from Green Planning Studio in Shropshire, which will establish whether it is considered that the district council has the right planning policies in place to say that the areas can be excluded, at Monday's meeting.

A North Weald Parish Council spokesman said: "the parish council fears that omitting the areas at Hastingwood could lead to them being open to development.

"This would thereby exclude residents of the Parish in which the land lies from being able to shape the future of where they live as the law intended.

"Epping Forest District Council has told the parish council that part of the North Weald parish should not be included in the area covered by the Neighbourhood Plan as it remains a strategic site for possible development."

The issue is due to be discussed by the district council’s cabinet on June 11.

Resident feedback regarding the excluded areas can be sent to clerk@northwealdpc.gov.uk until May 15.