CONTROVERSIAL plans for housing on surplus land at the Countess of Chester Health Park have taken a step forward.

Councillors have agreed a development brief which provides safeguards for Upton residents plagued by traffic and parking problems.

Earlier in the summer despite an 11th hour intervention by the city's strategic director for development, Andy Farrall, Lib Dem and Tory councillors forced through a motion to defer a decision on the 200 dwellings, 40% of which would be affordable.

In two highly-charged named votes, the Lib Dem and Tory groups combined to outvote Labour councillors who wanted to see the brief approved.

Development portfolio holder Cllr Jim Latham (Lib Dem, Upton Heath) told Wednesday's (October 12) meeting of the full city council: 'The brief has been through every conceivable stage of consultation.'

If it were not approved, he insisted, the council's planning officers would have a very weak case.

Safeguards had been built in to deal with proposed new employment, 80 affordable homes, mainly for health care workers and measures to deal with traffic and parking issues.

No development would be allowed until these measures are implemented.

'It is now time to get the brief implemented to enable development control to respond to planning applications in the interests of the community,' said Cllr Latham.

Tory planning spokesman Cllr Andrew Storrar (Con, Saughall) believed that the brief did not go far enough.

He described parking at the health park as 'chaos'.

Planning chairman Cllr Colin Bain (Lib Dem, Upton Grange) said Upton councillors had been the only councillors to object all along the line.

But if the brief was not accepted, the city council could lose conditions on parking and other issues.

The brief was agreed on a named vote with Lib Dem and Labour councillors in favour.

The Conservative group voted against.