A MAJOR housing development featuring 145 homes in the New Forest has officially been approved by council planners - seven months after a committee decision was made.

The decision comes after a number of conditions were addressed and confirmed between the developers and New Forest District Council officers.

It has been agreed that the applicants will provide a Community Infrastructure Levy of £1,064,888 due to the 12,101sq/m of floorspace set out in the development.

The Augustus Park scheme from Pennyfarthing Homes and the Highwood Group Limited for land in Whitsbury Road, Fordingbridge, will see a combination of flats and houses built on the northern boundary of the town next to the disused railway line.

Alex Laney, planning manager at Pennyfarthing, said: "Pennyfarthing Homes worked closely with New Forest District Council planning officers to bring forward a scheme for Fordingbridge which provides a carefully considered blend of detached, semi-detached and terraced homes. These include much needed starter homes to purchase, and also affordable homes to rent.

"The approved plans show houses which will give a varied choice to a wide range of homeowners and occupiers - from first-time buyers to those seeking somewhere to retire and also deliver benefits for the wider community. The approved plans also show significant areas of open space and allotments which form an integral part of the scheme.

"We are delighted with the planning approval and we are looking forward to starting on site shortly.”

Members of New Forest District Council's planning committee had granted the scheme last August.

However this decision was subject to a number of conditions, including additional clauses regarding the "mechanism for securing the agreed transportation contribution and the delivery of the identified highway schemes".

After communication with the applicants in recent months, the planning officer is satisfied that planning permission can now be granted for the proposed development.

The scheme will be made up of detached, semi-detached and terraced housing, as wells as blocks of flats, ranging from single bed homes up to houses with four or more bedrooms.

There were 38 objections to the scheme, which were considered by the planning committee, alongside representations from Fordingbridge Town Council and Whitsbury Parish Council, which both pushed for refusal of the scheme.

Despite these views, councillors backed the development voting 17 votes to one on a motion to approve the development.