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Planning permission has been approved for the building of 740 new homes in Londonderry.

The Cashel development will be located on land between the Whitehouse Road and Coshquin area of Derry, commonly referred to as H2.

Derry City and Strabane District Council's planning committee approved phase one of the plans on Wednesday.

Phase one sees a mix of social and private townhouses, apartments, semi-detached and detached houses.

The reserved matters application from developer Braidwater Limited came before the monthly meeting of the committee.

The decision by the committee allows phase one of the £450m development to begin.

This initial phase alone represents an investment of more than £100m.

The development will also have a high street.

It will consist of a mix of convenience retail stores, cafés, restaurants, retail units, office units, a gym and community centre.

The committee were told that the development would cater for the needs of young people, with public squares and open spaces to include children's play areas.

Officers informed members that the proposal had been assessed against the provisions of the Derry Area Plan, as well as other material considerations and policies.

Chairman of the planning committee, councillor John Boyle, said the application would help address the housing need in the district as well as creating a new, vibrant community for families.

"I'm delighted that this reserved matters application has been unanimously supported by members of the committee," he said.