SUBSIDISED public transport and the creation of a tortuous road network aimed at 'putting off' drivers will help ease the strain on Northwich's highways if a 1,200-home urban village gets the green light.

Richard Ellison, head of planning and building control at Vale Royal Borough Council, has addressed concerns from residents that the Winnington development could unleash as many as 4,000 extra car journeys a day on the town's already overcrowded rush-hour roads.

He acknowledged that transport was probably the biggest issue arising from the proposal, which has been referred to Secretary of State John Prescott for a final decision.

Mr Ellison said: 'Everybody living on the site would have either free or subsidised public transport.

'The design will favour walking and cycling. Also, the road network would be designed to be a bit more tortuous.

'We are trying to say to people - don't use your car, instead walk, cycle or use public transport.'

Mr Ellison expects the consortium behind the development, led by North-wich company Brunner Mond and a number of major housebuilders, to foot the bill for highways improvements to the tune of £2.5m.

He said: 'We will be looking to all developers who come into Northwich to make a contribution - if new facilities are needed as a result of this development, the developers should fund it. It's not right that residents should bear the impact of new developments.'

He expected developers to contribute to a new bridge for the town centre, but said the strain on the road network was insufficient to insist on this at the present time.

'There will be delays, but not significant delays,' he added.

Consultants have carried out three separate studies into the traffic impact of the development on Northwich based on the worst-case scenario - that all movements into and out of the village would be by car.

If this happens, which Mr Ellison insists it will not, five junctions would need improving.

But rather than deal with a massive increase in vehicles on the roads, plan-ners say they would prefer to discourage residents from reaching for the car keys.

Mr Ellison said: 'People's habits are very difficult to change. If the facilities are not there, they will jump into a car.' Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall said: 'The real problem is acute traffic problems at rush hour.

'When you get a development of this scale, unless you do something dramatic, problems will only get worse.

'We are not just asking for words of reassurance, what I want to be told is practically what the developers will do to address problems that are there now.'

Borough councillor Tony Lawrenson voted in favour of the urban village but echoed Mr Hall's concerns.

'We need to get the town centre sorted out,' he said.

'It's a disaster at the moment and the county council's highways department doesn't seem to realise that.'

He added that traffic problems will not centre solely on the estate, and he is unsure how people can be persuaded to leave their cars at home.

He said: 'More public transport is an excellent idea, but it won't work.

'There's no way people will give their cars up for a third-rate public service. They won't use it.'

He added: 'The main bugbear is the traffic lights.

'There are far too many traffic lights in Northwich and what's there should be synchronised to keep the traffic flowing.'

Cllr Lawrenson says the one-way system in operation while the Hayhurst Bridge is being repaired has cleared up town centre traffic - and that planners should take note.