Dunton Hills: What you need to know about £780m project

A total of 3,700 homes will be built on land to the east of West Horndon which will form a new garden settlement called Dunton Hills.

Up to 250 homes are expected to be built annually, with the first 33 dwellings built and ready for occupation by 2024.

What else will be built in the new village?

Three new care homes, a village centre and two neighbourhood hubs - which will include shops, facilities and services – will also be built within the new settlement.

The developers also plan to build three primary schools, a secondary school, which may be co-located with a primary school, children’s nurseries and a community sports hub, as well as a football and cricket pitches.

Around 2,300 homes will be sold on the open market, while 1,250 will be allocated as affordable.

About half of the site will be green space which will include trees, hedgerows, grassland and habitats, as well as a village green, community growing space, an orchard, ponds and new informal parkland.

What have the developers said?

CEG says The development will create 1,150 jobs and will support a further 700 plus jobs in the local area.

There is expected to be some £71million of additional expenditure each year, supporting the local economy.

Charlotte Robinson, strategic planning manager at CEG, said: “The planning submission follows many years of engagement with the council, local stakeholders and residents.

"It is a locally designed and landscape-led development, providing a mix of new homes and employment space, set amongst extensive green spaces, with schools, healthcare facilities, shops and services all within walking distance.

“The application provides for extensive investment into transport infrastructure, alongside the education and healthcare provision.

"There will also be much-needed affordable housing designed to enable local people and young people stay in the area.”

What happens now?

CEG has submitted a planning application for the new garden village to Brentwood Council and will await its full approval.

The application is not expected to go to the council’s planning committee prior to an independent Inspector’s reporting on the outcome of the Local Plan Examination.

The Garden Village is one of the first 14 Garden Towns and Villages identified by Government in 2017.

It forms part of Brentwood’s emerging Local Plan, for which examination hearings concluded in summer.

The development is designed to be in-keeping with Brentwood Borough Council’s Framework Masterplan Document for the entire site.