A decision on the first phase of a huge 2,250-home development off the M5 near Stroud is due by the end of the summer.

Robert Hitchins has submitted a planning application for 45ha of land south of Grove Lane in Whitminster.

It includes up to 900 homes, 4.8ha of employment land, a strategic transport interchange hub, sport and recreation facilities, allotments and vehicular access from the A38/A419 roundabout and Grove Lane.

The buildings would range from one to four storeys high with a density of 40 homes per hectare.

Nearby residents have objected due to the "extraordinarily massive" size of the development, loss of privacy for existing homeowners, the extra noise created and loss of landscape and wildlife.

It is the first half of the Gloucestershire firm's masterplan for the area which could see 104ha of arable land transformed over 14 years.

The second phase on 59ha of land north of Grove Lane could include up to 1,240 homes, a three-form entry primary school, a 1.6ha local centre, a transport interchange hub, sports facilities and green spaces.

Hitchins said the overall development would bring £0.42billion construction investment to the area and support 672 jobs per year, which would create a £0.44billion output from the site.

Once complete, it estimates the 2,563 new residents of the estate would spend £68.6million annually and 850 new jobs would be created on the site through the employment space, a school and two community centres.

Both sites are currently open fields, enclosed and subdivided by a network of hedgerows with a number of public footpaths crossing the land. Cotswolds AONB is located 2km east of the site and the River Frome is 250m south.

The application for the southern plot (S.23/0445/OUT) has raised concerns about increased crime, the strain on GP and health services, the impact on roads and the detrimental effect on the countryside and quiet village of Whitminster.

A resident of Kidnams Walk said: "It will destroy the local character of Whitminster village and extend urban sprawl from Stroud through to Whitminster."

Another from Prestwick Terrace said it would have a "huge detrimental impact on the quality of life for residents in the village".

The area will already be impacted by the Eco Park stadium being built by Dale Vince for Forest Green Rovers.

And Robert Hitchins also has outline approval (S.14/0810/OUT) to build 1,350 homes, 9.3ha of employment land, a mixed local centre and a primary school on land to the south east of the Grove Lane site.

Gloucestershire Constabulary's designing out crime officer said the Grove Lane south application has two errors in reference to policing documents. It said: "Each of these points would suggest the author had no working understanding of these documents or the security information contained within.

"As a result, I have serious concerns that any of the development will be designed or built to prevent crime or anti- social behaviour as required in the following documents."

National Highways said sufficient information had not been provided to enable it to fully understand the impact of the development and provide the council with advice. It recommended the application not be approved for another six months so this could be rectified.

It is proposed 30% of the homes would be affordable and if the masterpan goes ahead, the development could deliver around 150 dwellings per annum, with the first being completed in December 2024.

Robert Hitchins ran a consultation in 2021 to gain views and comments from the local community to inform the masterplan for both sites.

It said the plans would provide much needed housing, employment and economic growth.It added: "It is considered the site's highly accessible location and lack of any overriding physical/environmental constraints presents an opportunity to achieve a sustainable mixed use development, whilst respecting landscape, heritage and ecological considerations."

Stroud District council is due to make a decision on the application by August 31.