by Gráinne Connolly
Almost 500 new homes were given the go ahead by Derry City and Strabane District Council's planning committee.
It's part of 3 new developments in the district.
One of the developments will see Strabane benefit from new housing in the Bradley Way area.
There will be 23 houses in total - 5 detached and 18 semi-detached dwellings.
As well as this, the entrance to the land will be relocated immediately southeast of the Lidl Store on Bradley Way, Strabane.
The site is located on zoned housing lands as defined in the Strabane Area Plan 2001 and is only a few minutes walk from Strabane Town Centre.
The application will now be issued by the Planning Officers to the applicants.
McGettigan Homes Ltd submitted the application for the site.
They were previously granted full planning permission on the site to build 22 dwellings.
The other two developments for the district will take place in Culmore; where 219 residential units will be built and the Waterside in Derry; which will see 211 new houses.
The Chair of the Planning Committee John Boyle, said the developments were extremely beneficial for the city of Derry and the district.
"I am delighted that these significant developments have been granted permission today and can now progress to the next stage.
There is high demand for good quality housing locally and these developments will go some way to meeting that demand. The work itself will result in jobs and opportunities within the construction industry which can only directly benefit the local economy."