THREE hundred new homes could be built in an Essex village next to a major motorway. The Vistry Group is proposing the 25.3 hectares development near Wicken Road and London Road in Newport reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

The plans include 300 “high quality homes”, including ‘affordable housing’, a community hub, which plans suggest could be used as additional classroom space for the primary school, a workspace or farm shop. However, they add that the precise use of the hub will be determined after public consultation.

Plans also include a mobility hub “to support sustainable transport”, orchards for local food growing, and “well-designed” play areas for families. It also adds that it will be a “walkable neighbourhood, with linking homes” alongside new walking and cycling routes linking the village and Newport Railway Station.

The site is close to the M11 and the proposals also include acoustic mitigation measures, such as landscaped bunds and acoustic fencing, “ensuring a comfortable living environment for future residents.” The development “aims to create a balanced and inclusive community that meets local housing needs”, according to the plans.

It comes as Uttlesford District Council is set to build more than 14,000 homes will be built across Essex towns over the next 15 years, after the Government approved the “ground-breaking” plans.

The plans for Newport also state there will be various open and green spaces, with orchards, wildflower meadows, and wetlands. The proposals state “these enhancements will support local wildlife and contribute to wider ecological networks.”

The plans also say: “There is a significant local unmet need for housing. As a result, new sites must be found to address this shortfall, with Uttlesford currently unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. Our scheme would meet the identified need for 300 homes in Newport and deliver a host of community benefits that a series of smaller projects might not be able to provide.”

Categories: Planning Permission
Authorities: Essex County Council