A developer has won permission to build 137 homes on a site close to a primary school.

Councillors gave the go-ahead for Fairview New Homes to build blocks ranging from two to five storeys on land between Broadfields Primary School and Hartland Drive, Edgware.

The scheme will provide a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom units, with 35 per cent classed as affordable “by habitable room”.

Barnet Council received 67 objections to the proposals during an initial consultation. A second consultation on revised plans drew 37 objections.

The proposals were discussed at a meeting of the strategic planning committee on Tuesday (December 1).

Speaking at the meeting, local resident James Batten claimed the scheme would worsen traffic congestion – particularly when added to the impact of other new developments.

“These applications do not exist in a vacuum,” he said. “Residents are being asked to live with the cumulative impact of these developments.”

Mr Batten said that at peak hours there is “significant” congestion on the Broadfields Estate and there had been no assessment of the impact of the development on traffic at the junction between the estate and the A41.

He added that the scheme would exceed the maximum density for small sites set out in the London Plan.

Mark Jackson, director of planning at Fairview New Homes, said the development would provide affordable housing and a “high level of family homes”.

“The application has been supported by a transport impact assessment, which has responded to significant points raised by residents,” he added. “The scope of that assessment is agreed with officers before we start doing the work.”

Mr Jackson said density is not designed to be applied “in a mechanical way”, and the scheme had been “optimised”.

Under questioning from councillors, Mr Jackson said: “There are a number of different routes through the area, and the transport assessment has carefully considered those routes and traffic generation at peak times.”

When it came to the vote, the plans were unanimously approved by members of the committee.