HUGE greenhouses could be built on green belt land as part of the 6,000-home development between Basildon and Brentwood.

The greenhouses, which produce fresh fruit and veg all year round, could be built alongside a wood-fuelled power station, used to power the homes in the development, dubbed the Dunton Garden Suburb.

The greenhouse proposal has been put forward by KTI Energy, whowould run the power station, and could be based on a similar development in Kent, called Thanet Earth.

Bill Temple-Pediani, the boss of KTI Energy, has published the report as Brentwood and Basildon councils consult the public over the plans for the new housing development.

The report said: “KTI has urged local landowners to recognise the merit of farmland surrounding Dunton Garden Suburb being developed with extensive horticultural/agricultural glasshouses, as at Thanet Earth, served by low-carbon heat from the combined heat and power station scheme.”

Mr Temple-Pediani argues the scale of housing needs to more than double to 15,000 homes, so it could be designated a “garden town” and the councils could qualify for about £100million in funding and loans between them to deliver the scheme.

He wrote: “A review of the boundary of the suburb is sought by KTI in the light of locally-led garden cities applying to be new communities only if they contain more than 15,000 new homes.”

He said Bicester Garden Town had been able to attract the £100million sum by expanding into the green belt.

However, Basildon politicians think the scheme is unworkable.

Geoff Williams, Basildon Lib Dem councillor for Nethermayne, said: “It seems to me KTI is getting somewhat ahead of itself.

“Councillor RichardMoore has rightly expressed reservations on behalf of Basildon Council and I for my part amwholly opposed to the proposal.

“South-west Basildon has seen enough incursions into its green spaces and this further attempt to erode the green belt has to be fiercely resisted.”

Stephen Metcalfe, Tory MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, said: “I don’t think the garden suburb is going to proceed.

It is the wrong thing in the wrong place. In which case the power station and nurseries will not be necessary.”