Campaigners are angry after Cheshire West and Chester Council granted permission for 300 more homes despite concerns the so-called hamburger roundabout can’t cope.
The People’s Revolt Over Unsustainable Development (Proud) group is already fed up with the remodelled Boughton Heath junction.
They fear longer queues, increased rat-running and more accidents after the strategic planning committee granted GMV Eight permission for 295 homes at Saighton camp.
The application was lodged to tackle highway and nature conservation concerns generated by a similar scheme unanimously rejected by councillors last September, triggering an appeal. This time seven members voted in favour, with one against and one abstention.
The performance of the new roundabout has always been questioned.
Commercial Estates Group was originally ordered to reconfigure the junction to cope with the extra traffic generated by its scheme for 375 homes, 5,500sq m of employment space and new community facilities at the former Army camp.
This followed a development there by Taylor Wimpey for 103 homes.
Proud, which represents residents in the area, opposed the latest application until the proper road and support network is in place.
Proud spokeswoman Helen Carey told the meeting the roundabout would be saturated by 2023 according to one forecast. “This is future unsustainable gridlock,” she added.
She was backed by ward councillor David Robinson who added that the addition of Waitrose would also have an impact. He said: “I’m not against the development, we need housing and it’s a brownfield site, but I see nothing here that’s demonstrated the conditions at the hamburger roundabout are going to be any better.”
Highways officer Paul Parry disagreed. “It controls the traffic better than it ever did before,” he said.
