FINAL proposals to build a controversial concrete plant are due to go before a planning committee as opposition continues to grow.

Plans for the plant, in Newhaven, have attracted plenty of opposition ahead of them being discussed by East Sussex County Council’s planning committee next Wednesday.

Community Action Newhaven are planning protests at 9.15am on the day outside the County Hall to voice their anger.

A spokesman for the group said: “This remains the wrong development in the wrong place and local people need your support to make sure that a tactical withdrawal of one small part of this proposal doesn’t leave this utterly inappropriate development free to happen.”

Earlier this year, Brett Aggregates, the company behind the proposals, withdrew the most contentious part of their plans, to build a concrete block-making facility on Newhaven East Beach, known as Phase 4.

At the time a spokesman for Brett Aggregates said: “Having reviewed our plans and listened to local views, we withdrew this plant from our planning application and no longer require the beach for any of our operations.”

They added: “This plant will enable us to bring in marine-dredged minerals and utilise Newhaven Port’s deep-berth facilities and strong transport links to process and supply construction materials for the building of much-needed new homes and infrastructure, create local jobs, contribute to Newhaven Port’s development and the region’s economic prosperity.”

Despite that, protesters remain aggrieved and hope the development will be rejected.

Emily O’Brien, one of the protesters, who lives in Newhaven, said: “It’s not high-tech jobs which is the vision for the area, we want developments which are clean and green. This couldn’t be less clean and green. It’s the wrong development, but I’m worried that it might get through because they’ve made that concession. You wonder if it’s calculated.”

The revised plans are now for an aggregate processing plant, aggregate bagging plant, concrete batching plant and ancillary offices and stores for processing.

Ms O’Brien added: “There are a lot of decisions being made about the community without people knowing about it. If Brett Aggregates’ plan does go through despite the 1,000 objections and the 400 people who turned up on the beach to protest, then I’ll join the rest of Newhaven in saying there’s no point in protesting because our voices are not being listened to when it comes to decisions about controversial developments like this.”