Plans for 950 homes in a seaside town have been granted but concerns remain about a spine road running through the middle of the development being used as a "rat run" by speeding traffic.

Persimmon Homes had been granted permission for the development of the 42-hectare site known as Rouses Farm in 2018, but due to the length of time it has taken to resolve legal agreements with landowners that permission had expired and new outline approval was needed.

Following the plan re-submission, Tendring District Council planning committee granted permission with conditions that include 20% of the development being affordable housing, equivalent to 190 homes.

The plan on the western side of Clacton-on-Sea and north of Jaywick also includes details for a new primary school as well as a new neighbourhood centre comprising a local healthcare facility and units for shops.

Conditions also require the developer to provide land for a new two-form entry primary school and early years and childcare facility on-site with financial contributions towards the provision of those facilities, financial contributions to create additional secondary school places and a new neighbourhood centre.

But council planning committee member Andy Baker said traffic calming was needed as a preemptive measure along the main road through the development to stop speeding between the busy Jaywick Lane to the east and St Johns Road to the north.

He said: “My concern is that becomes a rat run from Jaywick Lane to St Johns Road which will involve speed.

“We have no idea and neither do highways over how that road will perform. They may be able to model it but you cannot model human behaviour.

“My concern is that will become the main road between Jaywick Lane and St Johns Road and I appreciate about how we don’t know what is going to happen but wouldn’t it be more sensible to have those measures potentially in place to avoid having highways come back and say we need to put those things in at great cost when it could be put in at minimal cost before it happens.”

The council heard the best option was for highways to assess it once the road was built.