Highway designs for a new 2,500 home community to the east of Haverhill have been given the final green light by planning officers.

The decision was made this week after reserve matters, including designs, layouts and a building strategy for a major a spine road into the huge site, were agreed between council officers and development company Red Row.

The project, which will feature a medical centre, business space and two primary schools, has been on the cards for nearly two decades and outline permission was granted by the West Suffolk Council planning committee for the road infrastructure in November 2019.

After months of negotiation, the plans have been given the final go ahead, paving the way for the first section of homes to be built.

John Burns, West Suffolk councillor for Haverhill East said: “It is a good step to take. It’s unusual for a development to have any infrastructure built in first, usually its the other way round these days. We’ve had a lot of discussion about this from a town council point of view and I’ve had numerous meetings with the planning officer and with Red Row themselves, they’ve made quite a lot of changes to meet our concerns so generally we don’t have any problems with it.”

Development company Red Row have now bought a section of the site within and are understood to be about to apply for the first 500 homes to be built.

When complete the new community will house 2,500 mixed properties as well as local facilities such at schools and a health centre.

The initial applicant Hallam Land Management, said that the development will provide “jobs and homes for local people, families, and the elderly, alongside important new local facilities”.

The highways layout will see two roads provide access to the site, the first a spine road from Haverhill Road (A143) and the second from Chalkstone Way with roundabouts being built as part of permitted junction improvements.

A large country park will run through the middle of the of the development providing ‘green corridors’ to Haverhill and the surrounding countryside.

A third access from Coupals Road will serve a new car park for visitors to the country park but will not provide a means of access to the wider development.

Chris Gatland, Head of Planning at Redrow Eastern, comment, “We are delighted to have secured this planning approval, which provides the strategic road, drainage and landscaping infrastructure for the first phase of development at Great Wilsey Park.

“It is an important step towards delivering the first new homes, which will become the latest of Redrow’s garden village developments and will make an essential contribution towards meeting the housing needs of the local area.“