A Nantwich housing application has been deferred for a second time for a traffic assessment, with a parish councillor warning 'until there's a fatality, nobody's going to take us seriously'.

The proposal from Nightingale Land for up to 75 homes off Broad Lane, was deferred earlier this month by the strategic planning board (SPB) for a traffic assessment to identify any cumulative impact.

This was because councillors are aware applications for about 700 more homes are in the pipeline

But, the information had not been provided when the scheme appeared on the agenda again this week.

Stapeley Parish councillor Jo Hillman told Wednesday's (March 25) meeting a cumulative assessment was 'imperative'.

The Broad Lane housing application has been deferred for a second time for a traffic assessment (Photo: Google).

"We cannot stress how inadequate this road is for all these houses and until there's a fatality, nobody's going to take us seriously," she said.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Conservative), who had moved the deferral at the last meeting, said the council's officers should have done the assessment.

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Highways officer Andrew Goligher told him it was not the council's responsibility.

"We can't be the assessor and the regulator," said Mr Goligher.

"The cumulative impact assessment will get done, it just won't get done right now.

"It'll get done in the future when we get round to looking at these transport assessments [from the larger applications which have come in]."

Cllr Steve Edgar (Haslington, Conservative), said the board should be discussing the application for 75 houses, not the potential other applications.

"We need to wait the moment when these applications come forward properly and make a proper assessment," he said.

He moved the proposal be approved, as officers had recommended, but the vote was lost.

Cllr Gardiner said: "It is our job to look at all of these things in the round."

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

He said if the 700 plus homes were built, there would be a need for highways improvements which would have to be funded by developers – and the developers of all the sites, including this one, should pay their fair share.

"I would say that it is reasonable for us to defer this application for the reason I specified last time," he said.

"And members will note that I said [last time], I appreciate that this will be a few months.

"The fact that it has come back to us immediately suggests to me that officers had no intention of doing that, and that, I think, is actually wrong, because we are the power, the board.

"Not only do you [officers] give us advice, but when we ask officers to do something that is an instruction."

He said things weren't being done, adding: "This is not the first time this has happened in this board, so I would ask officers to remember who has the power."

Cllr Hannah Moss (Mobberley, Conservative), seconded the move to defer, saying: "I don't feel comfortable with the advice given by officers today.

"It has felt a little bit more dictatorial than advice, and I certainly will not be pressured into approving this when I'm not comfortable."

Macclesfield councillor Fiona Wilson (Labour), said: "I think it's really important when we make planning decisions that impact on significant members of the community that we do look ahead, we lift our heads and we scan the horizon for what is likely to be coming forward."

Seven councillors voted for deferral, one against and two abstained.

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