A proposed up to 1,000 home development for Chatteris moved a step closer yesterday, despite opposition from some residents.

Five years after the first documents were submitted, Fenland District Council planners approved Hallam Land Management Ltd’s proposal for land south of the Wenny Estate, west of the A142 and east of Tithe Road.

The proposal - which would create a community on 173 acres of farmland - also includes a business park, High-Street styled shops and health centre.

It is envisaged the development will include an outdoor sports facility and a primary school with playing fields.

The plans originally submitted back in 2010 include for a cafe, doctor’s surgery and pharmacy as well as link roads to relieve traffic congestion around the town.

The proposal would see the refurbishment of the nearby Grade II listed Tithe Barn, for commercial or community use.

The development is opposed my some residents, who fear Chatteris does not have the infrastructure to cope with the influx of 1,000 families.

It will cause increased traffic, take business away from the town centre, provoke a devaluation of homes and lead to overcrowding at schools, residents said.

One objector said: “The development is too large for present infrastructure. Cromwell Community College will not be able to cope.

“Too many houses for the area so it will become a ‘rabbit warren’ in future years.

“Chatteris is a small market town in the middle of the Fens, an agricultural area, not a housing estate.”

Another objector said the development would put “untold strain” on the town’s schools, which “can barely cope”.

She added: “I have serious developments over this development and the sheer size. It would be about a third of the size of Chatteris is now which is huge for a small market town. “The industrial development will not bring enough employment to the area to sustain the local population as well as 1,000 new families and the local amenities will also not be enough with the local GP surgery full, no dentist in Chatteris, no supermarket, poor bus routes and no pub proposed.”