Councillors will meet tonight to decide whether to support plans to build 400 homes on ancient woodland.

Hastings Borough Council's planning committee was due to approve the plan to build the dwellings at Hoadswood North off Battle Road in St Leonards last July.

Montague Developments was to be told it could go ahead with the scheme provided it met 19 conditions which would have safeguarded trees and bushes on the land and undertaken extensive landscaping work.

The authority also stipulated buffer zones, fencing and surface drainage facilities should be built.

The London-based firm's proposals were met with opposition from nearby residents who sent two petitions to the council urging it to throw out the scheme.

Just before councillors were due to debate the matter on July 19, the Government Office for the South-East intervened, preventing the authority from approving the plans without special authorisation.

A report to the committee says: "Since then the Secretary of State has decided that he should determine the matter himself. In the circumstances, the application will now proceed to a public inquiry where both the developers and the council will have to make their respective cases."

Councillors will decide at tonight's meeting what position they wish to adopt at the public inquiry, which will be held at an unspecified date.

Options include recommending to the Government the plans are approved, that permission is refused or advising that there is insufficient evidence on the area's ecology to make a decision.

The agenda states that the site has been allocated for housing since 1994 and the council has been in favour of development of the area for more than 20 years.

The land is to the south-east of the Prowtings housing estate which is currently under development.