The design of 326 of 790 houses on land west of Woodside Way, Dunmow has been given the green light.

Details of the application from Barratt and David Wilson Homes were approved by Uttlesford District Council's planning committee on Wednesday, February 17. Planning permission was granted in 2015 by the previous Conservative administration.

Future residents will be able to view play spaces, sports pitches, woodland areas and the wider countryside from their homes. There are streets and footpaths around the development, said to be suitable for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Councillor Paul Fairhurst, who proposed the approval of the application, said he felt this was a good application, but he expressed concern about some of its details.

Dunmow Broadcast: R4U Councillor Arthur Coote, who sits on Uttlesford District Council's planning committee, which discussed the layout of the Woodside Way development in DunmowR4U Councillor Arthur Coote, who sits on Uttlesford District Council's planning committee, which discussed the layout of the Woodside Way development in Dunmow (Image: Archive)

After the meeting, R4U Cllr Arthur Coote who seconded the application said the first 50 to 100 houses will be delivered within the next year.

He said the 790 houses will be built in batches, with the other 464 houses set to be discussed upon the completion of the approved ones.

He said it can take decades before the whole development will be completed, because developers sometimes have to make sure the market benefits them commercially.

Cllr Coote said he is disappointed at the lack of objections by Essex County Council.

He said: “ECC don’t understand the layout of this area, they grant permission to all these houses in an area that already has a car every second at the roundabout.”

He added: “I think there are too many houses being built there, but in this administration, we can’t stop these houses being built.

“The last Conservative district council administration gave planning permission, so we try to get as much for the community as we can. What we can do and have done is make sure that they provide what they said they will.”

In total, 104 out of 326 homes have affordable rent or shared ownership.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “The lead planning authority in this development is Uttlesford District Council and it is this authority which should make points and objections during the planning process.

“This development was granted outline permission by Uttlesford District Council in October 2015. This most recent application is for road layout only.”