Seventh village in Harlow and Gilston Garden Town scheme approved

Plans for hundreds of new homes effectively creating a seventh new village under a wider "garden town" scheme have been approved.

East Herts District Council's planning committee granted permission for the 1,500 homes at Gilston.

The parish, near Harlow, Essex, has already had plans for 8,500 homes across six new villages confirmed.

Despite the approval, councillors raised concerns over affordable housing and also infrastructure.

Developer Taylor Wimpey, which was behind the application, said the move would provide "much-needed homes" in the area.

The total number of new homes proposed as part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town project is 23,000, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At a planning committee meeting on Thursday, Conservative councillor Eric Buckmaster said: "I do not think enough attention has been given to the impact on the current condition of the local road network, let along the cumulative impact of 23,000 homes across the Garden Town.

"Residents are having their lives disrupted while businesses are having their appointments cancelled."

Councillor Carolyn Redfern, Labour, said the agreed proposal for at least 23% affordable homes, lower than the East Herts District Plan policy of at least 40%, was "not what is needed in our community", adding the development was "not for the good of our community, it is to benefit people who want to move out of London".

Naisha Polaine, director of Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, said the project would "create better community facilities, modern schools, transport routes and links, leisure facilities and landscaped green space that will last for generations".

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]