DEVELOPERS are hoping to get final seal of approval from council bosses for their plans to build 50 homes in a rustic village.

Hill Residential Limited could be set to get planning permission for their development west of Bardfield Road, Finchingfield.

A planning report prior to the Braintree Council Planning Committee meeting on March 8 has recommended the plans for approval.

The developers are seeking to resolve reserved matters with this final bid.

The site would be made up of 50 homes with 20 as affordable housing with properties consisting of one to five bed homes.

Developers first submitted plans in 2019.

The original bid saw strong opposition from residents with 125 objection comments sent to the council.

Councillors concurred and rejected the outline planning application.

However, in 2020, the plans were given the green-light after the developers won an appeal against the decision.

Reasons for objections to the development include impact on services, high visibility of the site, unsuitable roads, and impact on housing prices caused by the proposed Wethersfield prisons.

One objector said: "The surrounding roads are narrow and winding and we already have to cope with large volumes of local traffic and tourists in the summer months which makes getting around and parking very difficult.

"In addition the village is accessed by two historic single track bridges, one being in Great Bardfield, which already cannot cope with the volume of traffic.

"The doctors surgery is also full to capacity and it is becoming increasingly difficult to get appointments.

Now developers have been given a boost after their application was recommended for approval.

The planning report says: "The applicant seeks permission for the reserved matters pursuant to this outline consent consisting of the appearance; landscaping; layout and scale of the development.

"There are no objections from the relevant statutory technical consultees and officers consider that the proposed appearance; landscaping; layout and scale of the development is acceptable in planning terms.

"Overall it is considered that the detailed proposal constitutes a well designed scheme and accordingly it is recommended that the reserved matters are approved."