A Nantwich housing application has been deferred with one councillor saying he didn't want to put his name to a scheme resulting in somebody's death, because a full traffic assessment hadn't been done.

Cheshire East planners had recommended councillors approve the outline application from Nightingale Land for up to 75 homes off Broad Lane, which also includes bulldozing a bungalow to create an access for the site.

But at Thursday's (March 5) meeting of the strategic planning board, several councillors raised concerns about the ability of the road to cope with extra traffic – especially knowing applications for a possible 700 more homes were in the pipeline.

Highways officer Andrew Goligher said the 75-home scheme was small in highways terms.

"We've assessed the access is safe and suitable. What we haven't done is junction capacity assessments of the wider network, because it is a small development in highway scales," he told councillors.

The application site for up to 75 homes off Broad Lane, Nantwich (Photo: Google).

Mr Goligher said an application had just been submitted for about 400 homes and another was expected for an extra 200 or 300 'so with those applications, we will be doing a wider assessment of the highways impact in Nantwich'.

Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner (Conservative), said he thought the 75-home application should be deferred and the survey undertaken.

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"We need to be assured that the creation of this new access with the additional vehicles using it are not going to result in increased highway danger.

"And that is why I am concerned that we appear to be just looking at the access point rather than the wider impact of this development on the main road, which is going to be carrying not only the 75 plus potential units from this site, but also those from these other developments," said Cllr Gardiner.

"I do not want my name put to a scheme, and I'm sure you don't, that in a few years' time, results in somebody's death because it turns out, we didn't take the opportunity to look at something of safety in the wider context."

Crewe councillor Marilyn Houston (Labour), said putting more cars on the road in this area was creating a 'perfect storm for traffic congestion'.

"I would wonder whether it is possible to defer this and to ask for a proper highways survey that took into account all the cumulative effects of development in this area," she said.

Planning and highways officers kept repeating the impact of the 75 homes would be small.

The site of the proposed 75-home application off Broad Lane at Nantwich (Photo: CEC).

But Cllr Gardiner said the council did have a legitimate reason for deferral.

"It's not unreasonable for us to consider the whole picture, because it's possible that we might need to make improvements to that road, which need to be jointly funded by the developers of the land to the north and the developers of this site," he said.

"We are saying, technically, we are aware of other developments in the vicinity, all of which are going to feed onto the same road, and all of which need to be assessed, because we need to know what infrastructure we might need to have.

"We can't fund it. We haven't got any money as a council, and so therefore it has to be funded by contributions."

Cllr Steve Edgar (Haslington, Conservative), argued a traffic assessment would be done when the larger applications were considered.

Head of planning David Malcolm said a deferral could be for six to nine months.

But committee chair Brian Puddicombe (Macclesfield, Labour), said: "Traffic surveys will take as long as they take, I guess.

"But I think we have got a duty of care to the current and future residents of Nantwich."

Cllr Gardiner moved the application be deferred and this was seconded by Cllr Houston.

Five councillors voted for deferral, four voted against and one abstained.

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