FORTY houses earmarked for Barnton have won the backing of planning officers.

Equity Housing Group and Seddon Construction are looking to build the properties off Meadow Drive.

Twenty of the homes would be market housing, and the other half would be affordable properties.

There would be six two-bed and 14 three-bed market homes, and 12 two-bed and eight three-bed affordable properties.

The housing scheme is recommended for approval at next week’s Planning Committee meeting.

The vacant site is surrounded by former local authority housing and more recent modern market housing.

The land was formerly home to a Royal British Legion club and a former children’s resource centre owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

In 2011 the Legion site was acquired by the council, bringing the whole site into single ownership, and all the buildings were demolished.

“The proposal will provide new dwellings in a sustainable location,” said a report to the committee.

“Subject to conditions the scheme will not have a detrimental impact on protected species or habitats, amenity or a severe impact on the highway network, and is considered to be acceptable in line with policy.”

The scheme is recommended for approval subject to 16 conditions and the applicants entering into an agreement to pay £20,600 for off-site play improvements.

The council said there was a need for open space improvements, play improvement and maintenance of equipment at Grange Avenue and Rowan Rise resulting from the proposed housing development, and the applicants had agreed to pay the equipped play contribution.

Barnton Parish Council did not object to the scheme subject to highways officers looking at the proposed parking.

“It would appear that some dwellings only have one parking space, and there is concern this will either or both restrict access to other dwellings on this proposed development or worse create further parking issues on Grange Avenue which could impede the bus route,” said the parish council.

“This has become a wider problem around Barnton and should be avoided here.”

The scheme includes 76 spaces for 40 houses, which the highways officer considered to be satisfactory.