ONE of the final hurdles holding up a huge housing development in a Suffolk village could be cleared within weeks.

Outline planning permission has already been granted for a 350-home development in Great Blakenham and now the last details are set to be decided by Mid Suffolk District Council.

If planning officials approve the final designs submitted by developers Orbit Homes, work at the former Masons Cement Works and former MoD land could start as early as March.

Orbit Homes has been jointly working on the scheme with SnOasis developers Onslow Suffolk and has now submitted a planning application covering the final “reserved matters”.

All the reserved matters, which cover the fine details of large applications, have to be dealt with before any work can begin.

The first batch was green-lit last year and approval of the new reserved matters application would mean the last details for the residential scheme would be signed-off and construction work could start.

The application covers the design and external appearance of the homes, the community centre, police station, commercial units and open spaces.

When the first reserved matters were approved last March, Onslow Suffolk and Orbit Homes were told to redesign some of the three-storey properties.

The council’s SnOasis planning committee is set to make a decision on the proposal at some point over the next few months and work would be able to start immediately.

Peter Goodyear, SnOasis planning officer, said: “It will be a committee decision – probably the earliest would be the end of February.”

The approved project would include 123 affordable dwellings including flats and houses and there is provision within the project for a new school, which would be covered by a separate planning bid.