Residents are being invited to a Sunday afternoon public meeting to prepare their opposition to 62 homes.

Doddington Parish Council has called the meeting for 3pm this Sunday at Doddington Village Hall in Benwick Road.

Councillor Dave Connor, one of those campaigning to halt the development, said he had leafleted in and around the proposed estate this week “and found 99.9 per cent of people opposed to it”.

Parish council chairman Ruth Hufton will co host the public meeting with Cllr Connor as they try to stop the homes from being built.

The first application was made a year ago by Whetstone to build the estate on land east of Bevills Close.

Fenland Council rejected the scheme but behind the scenes negotiations to tackle objections have resulted in a fresh bid coming forward.

“We do not need these houses where they propose them,” said Cllr Connor. “It is an awful deal for the village and we really don’t want anything to do with it.”

When the first scheme was refused councillors had to consider nearly 200 objections.

Ironically Fenland Council own a small strip of land and agreed to sell it to developers to allow the scheme to go ahead.

Cabinet reports from 2009 still remain confidential but minutes record “members received and discussed agreements to facilitate the disposal of a small area of land”.

Cllr Connor said the price being paid to Fenland Council was not known although he had been offered sight of the contract but only on condition he kept the sale price confidential.

“What’s the good of being told something I can’t share?” he said. “It was a pointless gesture.”

Whetstone says their new application “has been worked up in close consultation with both highway officers and planning officers at Fenland Council. A broad mix of house types, tenures has been provided across the private and affordable homes mix”.