A CONTROVERSIAL housing estate will be built in Moulton after the final details were reluctantly approved by planners.

Drainage and safety fears almost called a halt to Bovis' plans for 148 new houses on land at Beehive Lane, but Cheshire West and Chester councillors passed the application after taking legal advice.

Outline plans, initially submitted by Richborough Estates, won permission in October after a planning appeal. A reserved matters application, which set out details of appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, went before Cheshire West and Chester Council's (CWAC) strategic planning committee on March 19.

Beehive Lane resident Margaret Newton, Cllr Christine Bowie, from Moulton Parish Council, and Cllr Helen Weltman, CWAC councillor for Davenham and Moulton, spoke against the plans.

They raised concerns about the waterlogged state of the site and the proposed use of drainage swales to accommodate excess water.

Mrs Newton said: "Presently the two fields are a giant swale draining into the existing ditches and they're still waterlogged every winter.

"Surface water remains on site and there's no possibility of any excess being diverted off site.

"Swales undoubtedly work when conditions allow but this site is patently unsuitable."

Cllr Bowie said: "Our sole wish is to see a properly drained site that causes no issues for homeowners."

Paul Smith, associate engineer and director for Bovis Homes, outlined the drainage strategy and said it was in compliance with Government guidelines.

He said Bovis has considered the concerns raised and reviewed and altered its drainage plans.

"This is a fully sustainable solution reducing the impact off-site and providing aesthetic, amenity and ecological enhancement and is a fully robust design in terms of surface water drainage," he said.

Members of the planning committee said they remained concerned about the safety of the swales.

Cllr Angela Claydon said: "I'm very concerned about this because what it amounts to is having open ditches everywhere and while you might have open ditches at the edges of fields naturally you don't have them in the middle of housing estates."

Cllr Eleanor Johnson said: "I have to agree, there's such a lot of water on this site and 99 per cent of the houses are family housing."

Officers advised the committee that the principle of drainage swales was approved at outline stage and experts from United Utilities and the Environment Agency had agreed with the plans.

Cllr Adrian Walmsley said: "I have great sympathy with ward members and the parish council but because of the outline permission and principles proved at appeal, for us to refuse now we would be in a very difficult position."