Planning approval has been granted for the extension of a main road which will open up the second phase of the development of the new community of Cranbrook in East Devon.

East Devon District Council has approved the detailed plans for using £6m for roads and infrastructure needed to develop a new town centre, which will enable work to start in earnest early next year.

This work is a key part of the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA's) £20m investment to ensure the pace building of new homes in Cranbrook is maintained.

The remaining £14m of funds will support the construction of a new secondary school and a second primary school as part of the next phase of Cranbrook's development. Access and layout details have been approved for the alignment of the main route that will link the phase one Younghayes area with the secondary school and second primary school for Cranbrook which gained planning approval in March this year.

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East Devon District Council Leader, Councillor Paul Diviani, said: "We have worked hard to ensure the funds pledged by Government have been acted upon swiftly and efficiently. We will have over 500 homes in the initial Younghayes phase of Cranbrook by Christmas. Given that the first households didn't move in until July 2012 that's pretty impressive progress. Cranbrook sits in one of the most dynamic growth areas in England, providing the opportunity to live close to the workplace, and is in line with our vision to be a major player in the knowledge industry and drive up quality employment opportunities. This is not an opportunity waiting to happen; we are getting on with it."

The route will link across the Country Park and through the area of the planned town centre. The approval also includes details of a new junction onto the B3174 (former A30) to provide a direct route into the planned town centre. Further details of materials and landscaping along the route will be provided under current and future planning applications. With the layout and access of the route approved, preliminary work on the main road linking Younghayes (phase one of Cranbrook) to what will become phase two of can start straight away. This investment in infrastructure is expected to accelerate the pace of the delivery of new homes from 300 a year to up to 500.

Steve Jackson, HCA Area Manager, said: "This is a great way to end an exciting year for Cranbrook, which continues to attract families into the hundreds of newly completed homes.

"This latest approval means we will be starting 2014 as we have ended this one, and people can expect to see partners building on the progress that has been made. These are exciting times for Cranbrook and it is good to see our investment is making a difference on the ground."

(CD)