PLANS to build hundreds of new homes near a village railway station have been given the final green light despite concerns about designs.

Kelvedon Parish Council had even called for a decision on Cala Homes' application for land off Station Road to be deferred in a desperate attempt to address fears over a lack of quality.

But Braintree Council's planning committee approved the application during a meeting, paving the way for 238 homes to be built.

The plans were previously given outline permission in 2018.

Councillors were told the plans were of significant importance to Kelvedon during the meeting as it would set the tone for further housing developments planned for the village in the future.

The parish council said in a statement: "This is the first significant development in the village for over 20 years and possibly not the last, and therefore this site needs to be designed to the highest standards to be able to set a benchmark for future proposals.

"New development should reflect the genius loci of the village to ensure that the new residents in this development can feel that their surroundings are cohesive with the rest of the parish, instead of it being an outlier.

"Unfortunately, the design and access statement cherry picks design features from around the village to support stock housing designs within character areas, rather than that character driving design holistically from the start."

Kelvedon and Feering Heritage Society had also criticised the designs for the new homes, and called on Braintree Council to play a more prominent role when it comes to new development.

Proposals to build blocks of flats inside the development and the appearance of some of the houses were of particular concern.

Councillors accepted there were some doubts in the community about the proposals but insisted planning officers had worked with CALA Homes to achieve the best possible designs.

The council's planning boss Gabrielle Spray added: "We acknowledge this is a significant development for the village. The contributions from the parish council and the heritage society are very much appreciated.

"It does seem to me officers and the developer have worked very hard to together. Considerable negotiation has taken place in order to achieve the best outcome for this site."

In total, nine councillors voted in favour of planning permission and two abstained.