Residents of a 'carbuncle' housing development regret ever moving in now a pub and restaurant are being built below their flats.

Many of the 120 people living in the Landmark House on Debden's Broadway are furious that a Turkish restaurant and pub are being installed directly below their properties.

With many locked in to Help to Buy mortgage schemes, they are worried the smells, noise and atmosphere produced by the late night venues will significantly devalue the flats.

Their fears follow the temporary elation that came when the plans were rejected by councillors, only for a certificate of lawfulness to green-light the project without a public vote in its favour.

Some residents, who have asked not be named for fear legal action could be taken against them, claim they would not have bought flats there if they had known.

Epping Forest Guardian:

One woman said: "Nothing has given us any hope this is going to be okay for us. We would have never bought this property if we had known.

"I want to open my windows in the summer without these smells. We are going to have lots of people hanging around outside.

"How is this ethically acceptable. We were here first."

Residents claim they were under the impression that the units on the ground floor would not be turned into a take-away or pub, instead expecting a Co-op and Costa Coffee.

Both have since pulled out, with a Costa spokesperson confirming one of its franchise partners had walked away from the opportunity without explaining why.

Since the council announced the former Winston Churchill Pub would close instead of being listed as community asset and a large housing development would be built in its place, the public has been critical of the plans.

Epping Forest Guardian:

Cllr Stephen Murray, member for the Broadway, said: "There is a belief that the development was pushed through.

"It is almost a universal view in Loughton that this is one of the worst buildings we have.

"A building doesn't call itself a landmark it becomes one as it is admired and respected.

"I would call it the carbuncle site."

At the beginning of December the council asked for £84,000 in construction fees along with £56,000 in specialist legal costs to finish the Landmark site.

Epping Forest Guardian:

The extra costs came when the authority realised it had not installed extractor fans on the property, meaning it could not be let to a restaurant.

A spokesperson for the council said Landmark House was always intended as a mixed use development and that buyers should have been made aware of the intended use when they purchased the properties.

They added: "A pub or restaurant was always intended as part of the development given the history of the site and demolition of the Sir Winston Churchill pub to make way for this residential/commercial development.

"The prospective tenants are submitting the necessary planning and building regulation applications.

"Units A, E and G are on the market and are available for letting and agents are reporting interest."