DUNMOW Town Council members have raised no objections to the proposals, much to the dismay of action groups.

Chairman of the planning committee Councillor Clive Smith explained that concerns were raised at a public meeting on April 28 but they saw no reason to refuse permission.

He explained: “When the application came up at our meeting there was no representation or complaints from the immediate neighbours.

“Therefore there seemed no reason not to approved the application. My sympathies are with those who have now complained but the town council acted properly and in good faith.”

However, an action group spokesman has blasted the town council for not supporting “the local residents they were voted in to represent”.

After complaints from his constituents, newly-elected Uttlesford district councillor Graham Barker has called in the application so that the council’s officers cannot approve the application without passing it through the planning committee.

“I received a complaint so I have called it in,” he told the Broadcast.

“It is not for me to say whether a rehab centre in Dunmow is a good idea or not - my agenda is purely to inform rather than to inflame the situation.”