The planning board of Hastings Borough Council met on Wednesday to discuss proposals to demolish a bungalow and replace it with eight new homes.

Although no details plans have been submitted, councillors approved an outline application - meaning the developer has permission to build the new homes, together with ten parking space, on the site.

The applicant will have to return to the planning board with their final plans but even so, the decision to approve the plans upset members of the public gallery.

Local anti-development protestor Aubrey Ingleton, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of campaign group Ore Valley Action, told councillors the town already had enough flats.

He said: "The density of this application is too high. Hastings already has double the amount of flats than the national average but needs more bungalows.

"Approving this application is setting a precedent for every bungalow owner with a small garden to apply for permission to demolish it and put up flats.

"Is that really what we want?"

Councillor Peter Armstrong agreed. He said: "I think we are building an awful lot of flats in Hastings and we need more family housing.

"We are over-burdened with flats and we need to look to the future and not just become a sea of apartments."

Ray Crawford, a council planning officer, disagreed. He said: "This is a private development and is driven by market forces.

"We may well have ambitions to build more family homes but we can only react to the application which come to us."