The next phase of the Chilton Leys housing development in Stowmarket has secured final approval - as work continues to progress on the site.

Final planning permission around the appearance, layout, scale and landscaping for 100 homes of the development - portion 2B - was approved by Mid Suffolk District Council's development control committee unanimously, which enables work on that section to start.

It follows 215 homes and land for a primary school agreed in 2015, before outline consent for a further 600 homes was approved in July 2018.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mid Suffolk District Council development control committee chairman Matthew HicksMid Suffolk District Council development control committee chairman Matthew Hicks

In November 2018, the final approval for 175 of those 600 homes (2A) was agreed, with the latest application for 100 (2B) also being among those 600.

It means final plans for the remaining 325 homes will come forward in future.

James Bailey, planning consultant with applicant Taylor Wimpey, said: "It continues to be a hugely successful site, and it's a site Mid Suffolk Council know very well.

"Taylor Wimpey have been bringing this site forward over a number of different and carefully considered phases.

"Northfield View is a strategically important site for Mid Suffolk - it's featured as an identified area of growth over many years and it remains part of the joint local plan.

"We believe it has been sensitively brought forward over those different phases by Taylor Wimpey, this phase being no exception."

Affordable housing will comprise 20 of the 100 homes.

East Anglian Daily Times: Councillor Rachel Eburne from Mid Suffolk District CouncilCouncillor Rachel Eburne from Mid Suffolk District Council (Image: Green Party)

However, concerns were raised over triple tandem parking - spaces one in front of the other - planned for 16 of the homes, as previous instances of this at other developments had seen more vehicles parking on the road.

Developers were grilled on the issue, but as more visitor parking spaces had been provided than anticipated it was felt it will not be as much of an issue on the site.

Committee chairman Matthew Hicks said: "The visitor parking bays are way in excess of what we would normally expect so my instinct says this will cover it."

Councillor Rachel Eburne said she would like to have seen more consideration of future environmental measures, and added: "It feels the application is at what needs to be done today, not what could be done when construction starts and properties are lived in."

It is not yet clear when work on this phase will begin, or when the final consent needed for the remaining 325 homes will come forward.