Plans for a giant Midland scheme on a former golf course site have been given the go ahead.
Proposals for the new homes on the 60-hectare former Tamworth golf course site, as well as a new school and local centre, have been approved by the borough council.
The deal stands to put a dent in a major in the West Midlands.
A third of the giant site off Eagle Drive in Amington – the size of more than 25 football pitches – will be retained as open space.
The land will now be sold to a developer who would have to enter into a Section 106 agreement.
A Tamworth Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Section 106 agreement ensures that the impact of the development is minimised and provides benefits for the whole borough and its residents.”
The Section 106 agreement for the development of the former golf course site includes:
* 20 per cent affordable homes on the site
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* A new primary school providing 420 places
* £4.2 million for the improvement of secondary and sixth form education
* £1 million towards the provision of new indoor sports facilities within the borough
* £500,000 for improved provision of artificial sports pitches across the borough
* £500,000 for the creation of the new community woodland
* £2 million for the creation and maintenance of public open space and natural play area.
The properties are in demand according to a National Housing Federation report last year claiming the housing shortage in the West Midlands “is reaching critical levels”.
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In agreeing outline permission, the council committee also heard a new bus service running between the development and Tamworth town centre every 30 minutes from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.
A Travel Plan and other highway improvements were also raised.
The work would also see a seven-hectare extension to the Hodge Lane Local Nature Reserve and the creation of a new community woodland featuring oak trees with picnic areas, accessible trails, viewpoints and a community orchard.
In all 42 per cent of the 60 hectare site would remain as green open space, incorporating Tamworth’s first community woodland, and a new 2.4-mile cycle and pedestrian network will be created through the site.