Details of the £400 million 'Ballyclare West' scheme, which could see the construction of more than 2,000 new homes in the area over the next 20 years, were unveiled last August.
While construction of the planned by-pass road won't get the go-ahead until after the publication of the long-awaited Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan, possibly due later this year, the first phase of new housing has been approved by Planning Service.
Work on the development, which is now under way, will see 159 new homes built on land off the Rashee Road - 110 semi-detached, 35 detached and 14 terrace properties.
It is believed that the developer behind the ambitious project, Dungiven-based businessman Kevin Lynch, is hoping that work on the first phase of the new 'relief road' between Templepatrick Road to Doagh Road will get under way by August, with the second phase of the scheme - Doagh Road to Rashee Road - following on at a later date.
No-one at the KPL Group wanted to make comment ahead of an official launch of the project next week, but local political representatives for the area have welcomed the start of the work.

Read the full story in this week's Times...