A housing scheme has finally been given the go-ahead for a medieval village near Coalville - after previously being criticised for its "too small" gardens.

Developer Allison Homes will start work on the 50 homes soon, after members of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's (HBBC) plans committee voted to approve the scheme on land south of Main Street in Stanton under Bardon.

The committee had originally postponed its decision on the plans at its last meeting in February, where Councillor Stuart Bray dubbed the layout "poor" and said the homes felt "crammed into too poor of a space".

At the time, 24 of the proposed homes were said to not match the council's guidance for minimum garden size.

A report by planning officers revealed the larger gardens had been achieved by "a slight amendment to the highway alignment, by adjustments to the boundaries of the gardens and by reducing the amount of open space to the south and western boundaries of the site".

At February's meeting, councillors also heard Allison Homes wanted to lower the amount of affordable properties promised at the site, from 20 to eight, saying it had not been able to attract a provider to buy them.

Councillors had hoped the delay would also lead to changes to the affordable housing provision.

But the report said an agreement with the developer when initial planning permission was granted meant fewer affordable houses could be provided "if it has not been possible to find a registered provider to purchase the dwellings".

At the committee's latest meeting last week, Coun Brian Sutton said he was "glad this application has been sorted out". But he added: "We've always got this problem with affordable housing." He expressed concerns over electric car charging facilities, saying: "In my experience where I live, the electric cars are blowing the mains out of the road now. This village is pretty isolated. All the houses have got heat pumps and car charging pumps. I'd be very surprised if there's enough electric to work all of them."

Coun Martin Cartwright wanted reassurances that the areas of biodiversity net gain would be looked after and not allowed to become "an eyesore, by lack of maintenance". He compared it to issues with the maintenance of public open spaces on some new housing estates, where it's not always clear if the housing developer or a council such as HBBC or Leicestershire County Council, are responsible for fixing issues.

"How do we enforce that in perpetuity?" he asked. "Like the maintenance of public open spaces, this could be a right nightmare in the future." But planning manager Ed Stacey said planning conditions requiring landscaping and ecological management plans would allow the council to take enforcement action if the land was not maintained. The vote to approve the application was unanimous.

Speaking after the meeting, Karl Edwards, operations director for Allison Homes East Midlands, said the company was "delighted" that the plans had been approved. He said the company had worked closely with the council's planning officers, and added: "We believe that the designs will create an attractive development that existing and future members of the community can be proud of, and will go some way to helping the council meet its housing targets."

The developer will pay a £600,000 package to local facilities and services to offset the impact of new residents to the area. The money will go to nearby primary and secondary schools, Markfield Medical Centre and sports provision at Stanton Under Bardon Recreation Ground, as well as to waste management, libraries, and local travel.

"Significant" amounts of public open space have been promised by the developer, including a wildflower meadow, and there will also be an equipped play area. A spokesperson for Allison Homes said construction work will begin at the site this spring.