A housing developer has won planning permission for dozens of new homes on the site of a former dairy.

Morris Homes’ plan for up to 88 houses on the old Dairy Crest site, in Cambridge Road, Fenstanton, was backed by councillors on Huntingdonshire District Council’s development panel on November 21.

Under the plans, the company says that space will be set aside for industrial use and community use, and 40 per cent of the housing on the site will be affordable, equating to about 33 homes.

Fenstanton Parish Council had objected to the proposal on the basis that parking provision for some properties was insufficient, with fears that homeowners would end up parking in High Street, thereby causing congestion in the village.

But planning officials said that the development complied with council policy and that there had been no objection from Cambridgeshire County Council’s highways department.

In a report put before the committee, council planning official, Dallas Owen, said: “The proposed development is considered to be compliant with relevant national and local planning policy as it is within the built-up area where residential development is acceptable in principle.

“It would provide affordable housing in a sustainable location and it would make the best use of a brownfield site.”

As part of the permission, it is understood the developer will transfer about 280sq m of land to the Fenstanton Village Hall Trust, in order for it to set about constructing a new facility for the village, which has been without a hall for more than 10 years.

The decision to close the dairy plant was made in 2012, with production and transport gradually phased out until operations came to a halt in early 2013. Almost 250 jobs were lost.

There had been a dairy on the site for more 30 years.