NEARLY half the houses in the Northern Development Area one of the biggest development projects in the UK are complete, but building work and new projects are continuing apace.

Swindon Council's planning committee has granted permission to build more houses in Abbey Meads bringing the total number of houses in the Northern Sector to around 5,000.

In total 10,000 houses are planned to be built along the north of the borough in areas that include Abbey Meads, St Andrew's Ridge and Priory Vale as the town struggles to meet its future housing requirements.

But some planning committee members have expressed concern at the rate and density of the latest development to be given approval 129 houses on a 2.5-acre site, which equates to 21.4 houses per acre.

Former planning chairman Maurice Fanning (Lab, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) told a planning committee meeting: "I'm concerned at the density of this development. Liden and Eldene was considered to be tight and that was something like 11 or 12 houses per acre this is twice that amount and it worries me to say the least. We need extra houses, but the level of development we're going down is getting very tight."

Council planners approved the latest mini-development, which lies to the west of the Orbital Retail Park, at their meeting.

Martin Trewhella, the council's design and development manager, said: "The Northern Development area will comprise of about 10,000 houses and in terms of completion we're almost halfway there.

"If we are to use fewer green fields then we need higher density. The Government has said that through stronger urban design the council can increase density and still achieve interesting places

"The emphasis is on the street scene with squares, open corridors and avenues making these developments much more attractive. And there are a lot of open spaces that provide a nucleus.

"Eldene and Liden are bland developments and although the garden sizes have reduced in these new developments, we have tried to ensure it doesn't lead to unnecessary intrusion. The Northern Development is certainly one of the largest half dozen town expansions in the UK."

Bristol-based Taylor Woodrow Developments Ltd will undertake the work adding to a mixture of development companies like Bovis and Crest who have stamped their mark on the area.

However, Coun Dr Owen Lister (Con, Abbey Meads), said: "The density of this development is frankly unacceptable."