Construction of a £70million housing development next to Gloucester Railway Station will be sped up using modular units.

Revised plans by Eutopia Homes which incorporate the new method were given the green light by Gloucester City Council this week.

It means the affordable portion of the 315 homes will be built more quickly and efficiently.

The site was part of the 'Magnificent Seven' strategic plan for The Railway Triangle created by the Urban Regeneration Company back in 2006. It has been earmarked by the council as suitable for redevelopment for many years.

Eutopia bought the land in 2021 and already secured approval in February this year to transform the 7.9 acre city centre site  into an urban neighbourhood aimed at the city's growing workforce.

It plans to demolish the railway sidings, depot and commercial units on the site which are home to businesses such as Carlton Motors and Jays Timber.

They will be replaced with properties to buy, affordable, private rented homes and retirement homes.

It has now partnered with a housing association to deliver 100 of the homes as part of the southern phase using a modular construction technique.

A report to the planning committee on the revised plans said: "The modular form of construction is described as speeding up delivery and reducing construction waste, as well as providing superior energy efficiency performance.

"The building components are constructed in a factory and delivered to site in a 'move in' state, requiring minimal on-site installation."

The southern phase will consist of 26 flats and 87 houses. There will be 125 parking spaces, 234 cycle storage spaces and a playground. The design for the northern phase of the development remains the same.

The report said: "The layout remains the same in essence and it is considered that the changes cause no detriment to the underlying placemaking, permeability or massing concepts for the development."

The Civic Trust said the terraced houses in the new design "left something to be desired" with "ugly" glazing and "no evidence" that thought had been given to summer solar gain.

One resident objected to the application on the basis of increased traffic, citing cars backing up along Horton Road Wotton Pitch and Estcourt Road and Great Western Road becoming gridlocked, preventing access to residencies and the hospital.

The council said traffic and design aspects had already been considered when approval was granted in February.

Eutopia bought the brownfield land in Great Western Road from Network Rail in late 2021. It contains former railway sidings and depot and commercial business premises.

The new neighbourhood near Gloucestershire Royal Hospital will be named Great Western Yard. It will have a mix of 228 flats and 87 houses and include the creation of a new road access from Great Western Road along with landscaping and infrastructure.

Eutopia has estimated the development will create 490 direct and indirect jobs for the city and add £10.1million to the local economy annually through expenditure from the new households.

Lorna Henderson, director at Eutopia Homes, previously said: "Great Western Yard will help address the stark supply-demand housing imbalance in Gloucester. The city has the foundations to become an economic focal point of the South West but suffers from a shortage of high-quality housing.

"We are investing in Gloucester for the long term through the provision of new housing, as well as direct and indirect support for the local economy, including through the creation of construction jobs.

Councillors approved the updated application (22/00770/FUL) on Tuesday (Dec 5).