The £320million regeneration of the part of the Kodak site in Wealdstone will go ahead after receiving final approval from the Government.

A huge project to turn parts of the Harrow View site into 985 new homes, a new primary school, medical centre, shops and offices was unanimously backed by Harrow Council in June but needed the go-ahead from Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles.

The plan will see the huge 40-acre strip of land, created after buildings no longer needed by the camera company were demolished, developed in a ten-year scheme, with work due to start in early 2014.

Portfolio holder for regeneration, Councillor Keith Ferry, said that he was “delighted” that the project, which has been in the works since 2010, had finally been given the green light.

He added: “The next ten years will see a transformation of an area that has been historically very important to Harrow. 

“As a council we are determined to deliver on our promise to regenerate and build the most sustainable community in Harrow and to establish a thriving residential and commercial centre.” 

Developer Land Securities estimates the project, which also includes a community centre, student accommodation, and a retirement home, will create up to 1,500 jobs, and it will spend £10m on local infrastructure under planning agreements.

Emphasis has also been placed on the plan’s environmental credentials, with the inclusion of new parks and a power system where all homes and businesses will draw their heating from a single boiler.

But the scheme faced opposition from The Campaign for a Better Harrow Environment at June’s planning meeting, which raised concerns about traffic and the building on playing fields at Zoom Leisure Centre.

Kodak’s manufacturing on the site is being scaled down due to the decline of the company but it is due to stay on the site for the foreseeable future.

The regeneration, which the council says is the biggest for a generation, forms part of the wider Heart of Harrow project, which seeks to create 3,000 new jobs and 2,500 new homes in total in Harrow and Wealdstone.