The first phase of the development will consist a new village centre and nearly 1,400 homes. The scheme will also have a learning and community campus; two primary schools; a bus and transit hub; a health and social care centre; a mix of flats and family housing; transport improvements; shops and open space, and recreation and play facilities.
The development is expected to deliver a significant level of community infrastructure and facilities that will unlock the remainder of the wider Whitfield urban extension, the developer's planning consultants said, according to reports.
The infrastructure contribution was deemed sufficiently substantial by the local authority for it to waive its usual 30 per cent affordable housing requirement, the consultants said.
"This proposal relates to matters of great importance for the District Council. The urban expansion of Whitfield is a key driver in the growth agenda set out in the Council's Core Strategy and indeed in the Corporate Plan," the Council's planning committee said in its report. (100-page – 1.37MB/PDF)
The grant of planning permission is subject to completion of a section 106 agreement, which is expected to be signed of shortly, the consultants said.
