Taylor Wimpey’s application for up to 1,500 new homes included provision for a primary school, a local village centre, leisure and sports facilities – including a football hub – and the restoration of Grade II listed Brickhouse Farm Barn.
The news comes after the approval of Place’s for People’s application for the first six villages last month and completes the seven new villages planned for the Gilston area.
The site will deliver significant new infrastructure across the seven villages, including affordable homes, up to seven primary schools, two secondary schools, a healthcare centre, community and youth facilities, new retail and commercial units as well as expansive areas of open space for sport and recreation. This is on top of contributions from developers to support growth, including additional sustainable transport capacity and two new crossings over the River Stort, approved in February last year.
Sara Saunders, Head of Planning and Building Control at East Herts Council, said: “The decision today is an important step in delivering sustainable growth in the Gilston area and the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town. It’s a major achievement, with the outline planning applications providing 10,000 homes and associated infrastructure, and now means that we can focus on the next stage of delivery, which includes masterplanning each village to develop detailed plans – a process that will continue to involve local residents at every stage.”
