A MASSIVE development on surplus land at the Countess of Chester Health Park has received a lukewarm response from the local community.

Around 200 new homes will be built on the old 14 hectare Deva Hospital site on the Health Park - 80 of them will be affordable and these will be offered in the first instance to health workers.

The site is likely to include commercial and office space and up to 400 jobs may be created.

Residents and community figures were given the opportunity to look at the plans at the scout hut in Upton on Wednesday.

Phil Henshall works at the hospital and has lived on nearby Deva Lane for the last 25 years.

He said: 'I don't agree with it. There were plenty of other places they could have used. I work regular nights and I don't know how I'm going to sleep during the day.

'There are going to be office blocks about 40 yards away from us. Having seen the plans I feel worse about it.'

Construction is expected to begin on the project at the end of next year.

National regeneration agency English Partnerships is leading the regeneration of the site with the help of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust and Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust.

Morris Developments has been appointed as the proposed developer.

One of the architects on the development, Warren Barnett, of Ian Darby Partnership, explained that when the show village is built, a number of the units will include renewable energy solutions such as a ground sourced heat pumps and solar panels.

He said: 'We can then offer these to the customer as part of their new home for an extra cost of £4,000 or £5,000. We want to leave a very delicate carbon footprint.

'The quality of the landscape will make this one of the capital places to live in the UK, it is one of the best sites I have seen in 20 years.'

Of the 80 affordable homes on the site, 41 are expected to be apartments and 39 will be houses - either terraced or mews.

Lynn Caddy at English Partnerships said: 'The development is still at an early stage and residents are being consulted so their concerns can be addressed in the plans.'

She added that a traffic assessment survey was being carried which will also have an impact on the plans.

'Little we can do to stop plans' - councillors

UPTON councillors are not happy with the development but have already accepted there is little they can do to stop it.

City councillor and chairman of Upton Parish Council Jean Evans said: 'We didn't want this development but it has been included in the Chester district local plan and so there's nothing we can do to prevent it.

'Instead we must make sure the development is carried out in the right way.

'I think the major problem will be traffic. We have been trying to get the county council to carry out a traffic study in the area for a number of years, hopefully they will consider that now.'

Councillor Jill Houlbrook (Con, Upton Grange) spent an hour-and-a-half looking at the plans. She said: 'I opposed the development in the first place but we have to accept it now.'

Referring to the impact of the development on residents living on Deva Lane, she added: 'Deva Lane has been neglected in the past.

'We have to ensure the proposals have as little impact as possible on people already living in the area. As developments go this seems a reasonable development.'