The approval represents the final permission for Gilston Area – part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town development on the Hertfordshire/Essex border.

Developer Places for People (PfP) already has a resolution to grant permission for 8,500 homes across six new villages – with Taylor Wimpey’s approval now completing Gilston Area with the important seventh village.

Taylor Wimpey’s outline proposals include:

• 1,500 new homes – 23% of which will be affordable

• A village centre comprising up to 11,510 square metres of non-residential floorspace

• Up to 5,100 square metres of commercial floorspace within the village centre

• An independent nursery of up to 550 square metres

• A primary school

• Significant open space (47.45 ha) including various play areas (LAPs, LEAPs and NEAPs) and allotments

• Outdoor sports and recreation facilities (15.56 ha) including a community park, football hub and village playing field

• A sustainable transport corridor and supporting infrastructure

Savills also provided Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), economic, retail, healthcare and heritage advice in support of the outline planning application.

The Harlow and Gilston Garden Town project is supported by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund and will see 10,000 homes built at Gilston Area across seven villages. This will be supported by significant infrastructure, including retail, commercial and community space, a strategic healthcare hub, leisure centre, primary and secondary schools, sustainable transport corridors – including East and Central crossings over the River Stort – and an emergency services hub.

Jane Barnett, planning director at Savills Margaret Street office in London, said: “This is an  important project for Taylor Wimpey and we are naturally very proud and pleased with the result. The proposals  will deliver significant new infrastructure, including much needed affordable homes, healthcare, community and youth facilities, alongside retail and commercial units and expansive areas of open space for sport and recreation.

“The submission of the application involved collaborative and in-depth consultation and engagement with East Herts District Council and the wider Garden Town Partners Group (made up of Hertfordshire County Council, Essex County Council and Harlow Council) which also included the Gilston Neighbourhood Plan Group and other key stakeholders. There was extensive local community consultation as part of the process.

“We will now work with Taylor Wimpey on the next focused stages – including developing a Village Masterplan (as a conditional requirement) and first Reserved Matters phases/sub phase applications to ensure early housing delivery across Gilston Area as a whole.”