The first phase of up to 1,138 new homes in an Essex garden suburb were approved last night.

Maldon District Council approved the first 160 homes of the massive mixed-use development on Thursday evening (April 8), which will be split into phases.

The authority considered the application by Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd for land in Maypole Road, Heybridge.

Outline permission for the wider scheme, which also includes a primary school, early years childcare facility and a 120 bed care home, was granted on appeal in 2019.

Planning agent Matthew Wood of Phase 2 Planning, said at last night's Maldon District Council meeting the proposals represented a sustainable and policy compliant form of development.

He said: "Officers have now concluded that the proposals now presented would be fully acceptable as a good representation of the village edge character that is aimed for in this part of the suburb."

Each of the new 160 houses will have an electric vehicle charging point, according to officers at the meeting.

A council report says 30 per cent of the development will be classed as affordable housing, which is in line with the council's minimum requirements.

But Councillor Adrian Fluker (Non-aligned Independent, Southminster) told the committee there was a shortage of bungalows in the district and questioned why only three had been proposed for the first phase.

According to a council report, one condition of the wider scheme is for 4 per cent of the homes to be bungalows, which would equate to six in this phase.

An officer at the meeting said she was confident the remaining bungalows could be provided in later phases of the scheme.

Councillor Jane Flemming (Con, Purleigh) said surface water drainage could be an issue at the site.

The lead local flood authority was consulted and did not object to the plans, and a wider drainage strategy was approved as part of the original application, according to the report.

Councillor Mark Durham (Con, Wickham Bishops and Woodham) additionally raised concern that 10 district planning committee members had not turned up to the meeting.

He said: "We've got less than 50 per cent of our members here tonight, which I think is a rather sad indictment."