Harlow Council said it has applied for an injunction against the three housebuilders of a new development who have failed to provide community facilities.

The district council in Essex said developers Persimmon, Barratt and Taylor Wimpey had built 1,000 homes but failed to deliver the sports pavilion and pitches, allotments, community centre and retail units that were part of a Section 106 agreement.

A primary school being delivered by Essex County Council has also not yet been built.

Harlow Council said the injunction sought to restrict any further occupation of the new homes at Gilden Park until the developers’ obligations were met, or a plan to provide the facilities was provided.

Cllr Michael Hardware, portfolio holder for economic development, said: ‘It is unfortunate that it has come to this, but we must stand up for those residents who have moved in to Gilden Park and currently have no local facilities within the development to enjoy.

‘As I have said before, they are missing out on being part of a community and this is down to developers not meeting the conditions of the Section 106 agreement.’

A spokesperson for the Gilden Park consortium said: ‘We recognise that residents and councillors are frustrated by these delays and we are sorry that the community facilities at the development are not all yet complete.

‘We are fully committed to delivering these facilities for residents and have been in discussions with Harlow Council in recent months in order to move this forward. Work is ongoing and we have shared a plan with the council that sets out when these facilities will be finished.’

Harlow Council said the developers were asked in June to provide a timeline for delivery, while the consortium said the council did not respond to a request for a meeting made the same month.