Housing secretary green-lights 2,400 homes in London and Gloucestershire

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has waved through three contested housing schemes set to deliver more than 2,400 homes.

The developments, whose rejection by local planning authorities had gone to appeal, are in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and the London boroughs of Barnet and Lewisham.

Planning inspectors had recommended the appeals be granted, and the secretary of state agreed. In the case of the London developments, the GLA had declined to intervene.

The largest of three schemes is in Barnet and is being developed by Comer Homes. The firm has proposed to build a total of 1,200 homes on the site of the North London Business Park across two developments, with around 10% of the units set to be affordable.

Designed by Dublin-based Plus Architecture, five blocks of up to eight storeys will feature 376 homes, while a further 824 homes will occupy buildings ranging from two to nine storeys, which is down from a maximum height of 11 storeys after a public consultation.

The development will also feature a new secondary school and community sports facilities, as well as transport improvements.

Jenrick also gave the go-ahead for an 850-home scheme on farmland near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, which is being developed by Robert Hitchins and drawn up by Pegasus Design. The number of affordable homes has yet to be confirmed.

The other London development he approved is a proposed 365-home project by MB Homes in Lewisham, south-east London, to be built across three buildings – of eight, 14 and 34 storeys – on the site of a Tesco supermarket car park, next to Lewisham railway and DLR stations. One-fifth of the homes will be affordable.