A NEW community with up to 3,700 homes and four schools, together wth shops and community facilities, is to be built on the doorstep of Thurrock.

Planning permission has been granted by Brentwood Council for the 'garden village' development on a site currently occupied by Dunton Hills Golf Club off the A128, just to the north of Bulphan.

Agreed plans provide for up to 3,700 new homes, three care homes, a village centre and two neighbourhood hubs which developers CEG say will provide easy access to shops, facilities and services.

There will also be three primary schools, a secondary school, children's nurseries and a community sports hub, as well as football and cricket pitches. The development could eventually grow to around 4,000 homes.

About half of the site will be green and blue 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.

Designed to be a healthy place to live and work, it will include new walking and cycling routes, as well as formal sports facilities.

A mobility hub will provide sustainable travel proposals that include a community concierge, hire and repair of cycles, car sharing schemes, traditional bus and demand-responsive transport infrastructure. An improved pedestrian/cycle link to West Horndon railway station is to be provided.

Charlotte Robinson, head of planning at CEG, said: "This decision follows many years of engagement with the council, local stakeholders and residents.

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

"As well as including 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."

GEG say 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.