PLANS for a major housing development were tonight given the green light by council chiefs.

The 450-home project at Lower Hoddern Farm in Peacehaven was approved by Lewes District Council at a planning meeting at the Meridian Centre.

More than 100 residents turned out to oppose the plans, and some heckled the committee as they gave their verdict.

Barratt Homes, the housebuilder behind the scheme, submitted its application last March.

Bosses promise 143 homes to be built, with a further 307 in later stages of the project.

Forty per cent of those homes will be affordable.

Newhaven Town Councillor June Dyer objects to the plans.

She said: “I can’t see how they can make the A259 any better.

“The volume of traffic is so high.

“There are too many houses in the scheme.

“They don’t think about doctors, roads and schools in the area.

“They just want to develop houses and be done with it.”

Cllr Dyer also disregarded the 40 per cent of affordable homes.

She said: “In this area, what is affordable?

“It could be out of a lot of people’s budget.”

The public was told about a £1.2 million transport plan that will see residents of the homes get free bus passes, cycle vouchers and have electric car chargers in place to tackle the pollution issue.

The cash is part of a community infrastructure levy.

Barratt Homes has also been in advanced talks with Brighton and Hove Buses, who will improve the 12X service by running it every 15 minutes rather than 20. There will also be three new buses purchased to serve the routes.

There is also £2.8 million funding available to education and health facilities which can be bid for by the services.

However, residents laughed off these proposals, with some shouting that the 12X barely affects Peacehaven.

A handful of residents were evicted from the meeting, and one stood in front of the committee and told councillors the plans are a “load of ******* ********”.

The meeting comes after a deferment from a decision last December.

Before that meeting, Lewes District Council received more than 1,000 objections.

Congestion and pollution on the A259 was the main concern among residents, many of whom said they do not oppose more houses, simply the area these are being built in.

Others were worried about the environment, with a loss of green space and, with it, wildlife.

Lance Richards, of Roundhouse Crescent, on the outskirts of the development, said: “The loss of green space is my main concern.

“It’s a popular area for families and they are just going to ruin it.

“There are a lot of birds at the site, too.

“I know there’s a need for homes countrywide, but I would rather they weren’t built here.

“I may possibly move away because of the development.”

The development is part of the Lewes Core Strategy planning policy, which aims to provide 6,900 homes by 2030.

Seven of the ten councillors on the committee voted in favour of the development.

Councillors Susan Murray, Jim Sheppard, Richard Turner, Tom Jones, Sharon Davy, Vic Lent and Peter Gardiner said yes to Barratt Homes.

Councillors Liz Boorman and Graham Amy opposed the plans, while Stephen Catlin abstained.

Cllr Turner, of the Ouse Valley and Ringmer ward, apologised to those affected.

He told them: “I am going to reluctantly vote for this.

“I’m sorry.

“I feel very, very sorry for the people of this district because of the housing we’ve got to build.”