A PLANNING expert has given the go ahead for a 9,000 home new town to be built on the border of Colchester and Tendring.

Inspector Roger Clews has told the North Essex Authorities, Colchester, Tendring and Braintree councils, section one of their local plan can be made legally compliant and sound.

This means the new town, or garden community, can be built between Greenstead and Wivenhoe, on land near the University of Essex.

The new town will eventually have 9,000 homes, with section one of the planning setting out the strategic direction for housing growth in the area through to 2033.

In order for the plan to be adopted, planning consent and funding approval for the new A120 to A133 link road and the so-called Rapid Transit System must be secured before any development forming part of the garden community gets planning approval.

Earlier this year Mr Clews sent the authorities back to the drawing board and recommended they remove two further new towns, totalling 34,000 homes from consideration.

Colchester Council leader Mark Cory said: “Local plans are often a long and difficult process, our joint plan has been no exception to that.

“The inspector has supported the infrastructure-first approach and he has set out strict policy guidance to support it.

“I welcome this and am clear about two things - one that these clear principles and guidelines of infrastructure-first are met, otherwise development should not proceed.

“And secondly, that engagement with local people comes first too acknowledging that we must improve on what we’ve seen in the past.”

In his letter confirming the first section of the plan can be adopted, Mr Clews confirmed the authority’s housing targets were accurate.

This means Colchester needs to be 920 homes each year until 2033, Braintree 716 and Tendring 550.

Once section one has been adopted, the authorities can move on to section two of their local plans separately, which will set out where more development goes ahead.

Neil Stock, leader of Tendring Council, said: “The collaboration and partnership working between the three district councils has been exemplary and ground-breaking; we have led the whole country in that regard.

"Our proposals and particularly our garden community aspirations on the border with Colchester have passed intense scrutiny, so I am extremely pleased with the progress we have made.”

Each authority will now take section one of the plan to its Local Plan committee for approval.

The inspectors letter can be read at www.braintree.gov.uk/localplans1.