OUTRAGED residents who lost their long standing battle against plans for a major housing development in Chester have spoken of their dismay.
Planning chiefs have given the go-ahead for 375 homes, 5,000 sq metres of employment development, 500 sq metres of other commercial developmentand a 400 pupil primary school at Saighton Camp, Huntington, despite five years of fierce opposition from householders and local leaders.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) planning board members rejected outline permission for the Huntington development but now, following a six-day public inquiry, Andrew Pykett, of the government’s planning inspectorate, has allowed the GMV Eight Ltd development.
Led by Christine Russell during her time as MP for Chester, councillors and residents say there should be no more development of the Saighton Camp site until a link road from the A55 is constructed.
The group feel the development would exacerbate traffic problems on Caldy Valley Road leading to the roundabout near Sainsburys, Chester.
More than 100 homes have already been allowed on a separate part of the camp without objection but there are great fears about more traffic emerging from a fresh development and on to the Chester-Farndon B road.
But Mr Pykett concluded the “development is acceptable in highway capacity terms”.
Parish councillor Ann Kitchin, who uses the road every day, said: “The prospect of more traffic and more congestion is very worrying particularly as many children have to cross the road to get to local schools and to the Caldy Nature Park.”
The plans for the development include improvements to the roundabout and a new “hamburger” gyratory with traffic lights would be built near Sainsbury’s, costing £3.5m.
It suggests that additional traffic at the Vicars Cross junction of the A41 and A51 could be dealt with by using smart traffic signals.
But Great Boughton Parish Council vice chairman Ann Farrell said such improvements are unlikely to improve the current situation and could result in more queuing at peak hours.
She said: “Chaos will ensue while the improvements are carried out and local residents will be in for a torrid time.”
Current chairman Sue Proctor went to the public inquiry to object to the proposals.
Ann Farrell added: “It is thoroughly depressing that this important decision has been made before the new Local Plan for Chester (Local Development Framework) has been consulted on and finalised. The camp is not allocated for development of any sort at present. People have not been given a chance to debate its future as the new local plan is put together. Local democracy has been the loser here along with the residents of Great Boughton.”