A major housing development that has been described an "extension to Stevenage" has been granted outline planning permission by North Herts Council. The plans to build south of Graveley have been a long time in the making, with a masterplan rejected by the council in July last year before being revised and approved in November.

As well as 900 homes, the site will include a two-form entry primary school and community centre – as well as a possible medical facility. Full details still need to be ironed out in future planning applications.

The plans were unanimously approved by North Herts Council's planning committee yesterday (Thursday, 20 March), following a recommendation by officers that they give the green light to the plans. 

Cllr Ruth Brown said: "It has gone through the masterplanning process and it was refused on the first occasion at full council. The applicant went away and did some more work and I think it's been quite thorough. We have before us today an outline plan with access and all other matters reserved.

"It's an allocated site in the Local Plan and so I think the principle of development should be approved. The public are very worried about the health provision, I think, and the highways issues.

"We've probed those and … I feel quite satisfied that there is a preference for an on-site health facility and everything will be done to deliver that if at all possible. I feel quite reassured that there's already a bus route and that an additional stop can be added quite easily to within range of the first people to occupy the site."

The applicant said that the 55 bus route between Stevenage and Letchworth, which goes past the proposed site, would likely be "within comfortable walking distance" for the first residents of the development.  A new 92 bus route will be created between Stevenage and Baldock, calling at the development as well as Graveley and Letchworth, but the applicant warned it may not be ready for "day one" of people moving into the development. 

Concerns had been raised at an earlier stage about the development's impact on traffic, and Cllr Martin Prescott suggested it was a "monumental elephant in the room".

But Hertfordshire Highways raised no objections to plans for the site, which include a new junction on North Road, south of the existing junction from North Road and Graveley Road. 

The development is also set to include multiple children's play areas as well as other open spaces such as allotments. Forty per cent of the housing on site will be deemed affordable, according to the government definition of the term.