ALTERATIONS to the Wichelstowe application were approved at a meeting of the council’s planning committee last night.

The updated plan now has a different road layout, an increase in the number of homes which need to be occupied and a reduction in the number of affordable homes developers will need to provide.

It now means talks can be held with a number of companies over who will develop the site, which will eventually comprise of 4,500 homes.

A short-list of developers has been drawn up and discussions will commence shortly.

Concerns were raised about the alterations as there the road running through the estate will no longer run directly south along the site but will instead go into the heart of development.

Several objections were also raised about the halving in number of affordable homes required, which dropped from 30 to 15 per cent.

While the plans did pass an amendment was also made to ensure the issue of making sure there were checks on raising the affordable home quota if market conditions improved and the possibility of building the original southern relief road, as well as the new road, could be discussed at a later date.