Six new villages with plans for 8,500 homes have been given the go-ahead, despite criticism of the amount of affordable housing.

Submitted by Places for People, the homes and supporting infrastructure proposed in the planning application will make up six of the seven villages planned for the Gilston area of the Garden Town.

It was the biggest ever planning application considered by East Herts Council since the district was formed in 1974.

A further application for 1,500 homes from Taylor Wimpey will make up the seventh village, bringing the total to 10,000 new homes to be delivered through to 2050 and beyond.

This application is still to be determined by East Herts Council.

The Gilston development continues Hertfordshire’s history with Garden communities, dating back to over 100 years ago with Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City.

Places for People’s approved plans also include:

· Six primary schools
· Two secondary schools
· Healthcare facilities
. 29,000m² of employment space
· Significant areas of green open space – including community and country parks and buffer zones between villages
· Leisure Centre
· Sport facilities

Leader of East Herts Council, Linda Haysey, said: “For many years, we have worked together as part of a five-council partnership to bring a vision to life for a new community at Harlow & Gilston that embraces and responds to the challenges of the future.

“The decision taken by councillors today is a significant step towards ensuring our next generation can live and raise families of their own in East Herts.

“I understand residents will have concerns about the impact of development on this scale, but with that scale comes the investment needed to provide the new services and facilities that build sustainable communities.

“We can and have secured the necessary infrastructure to support growth – the schools, healthcare and transport our children and their families will rely on.

“It is their needs, together with those of residents in and around Harlow & Gilston, that will remain front and centre in the years to come as we seek to harness the opportunities of growth and manage it in a way that protects everything that is valued by our existing communities.”

HGGT director, Naisha Polaine, commented: “It’s a landmark moment for the five-council partners of Harlow and Gilston Garden Town and the most significant housing decision in the area since Sir Frederick Gibberd’s plans for Harlow were approved over 75 years ago.

“We will continue to put local people at the heart of our placemaking and work with them to create thriving communities, new job opportunities and much needed housing for existing residents and the generation that follows.

“With Harlow Council having secured the funding for Town Centre regeneration, the door of opportunity is now wide open for the local area in terms of transformative development, investment, commerce, employment, retail and leisure.”

A spokesperson for Places for People added: “This decision marks a historic moment in the wider Garden Town movement, for the people of East Herts and the wider region.

“The outline proposals approved at planning committee provide the basis for a truly exceptional, once-in-a-generation development to be delivered in line with local ambition.

“In addition to providing thousands of much needed new homes of all tenures, Gilston Park Estate presents an unrivalled package of public benefits for new and existing residents; including around £900m of new and improved transport infrastructure, public open space, new habitats for wildlife, sports facilities, schools, healthcare centres, retail, employment and more.

“The outline application is a culmination of joint working between Places for People, East Herts District Council, the other Harlow Gilston Garden Town authorities, local parish councils and the wider community spanning over many years.

“This engagement has included early work on the masterplans for the site which will now continue in full.”