Appeal launched over Hartford homes plans (From Northwich Guardian)

amazing how the developers can generate easy press coverage in the Northwich Guardian, when JAG cannot.
JAG - take note, you need to book some adverts just like Redrow.
As for the appeal grounds, does anyone who travels through hartford in a morning really think that adding 650 more houses (approx 1000 cars) to an already severely conjested village would not make the siuation much worse.
Can anyone also advise on the 'availability of alternate routes', as i don't see any evidence of any further road building to ease the existing conjestion, nevermind when the Winnington Urban village is built

It's just a game to developers they expect plans to be rejected and are always preprepared for the appeal. I think it would have been preferable had CWAC SPC objected on more grounds as traffic is normally the easiest objection to mitigate and Council's backing on the other issues lends weight when the Inspector determines the enquiry.

However having read the various views on traffic and having personal experience of this rat race at peak times I don't think it is readily mitigated. Furthermore the positive impact developpers say can be gained from travel plans and public using alternative routes is fabrication. They fail to comprehend the congestion caused on the alternative route through Castle and Northwich by the one way system, the present congestion at the Island on the approach to schools and the already over capacity on School lane, nor do they appreciate for most the tracel is a necessity and is not avoidable at peak times.

Furthermore since the application for additional housing developments have appeared in Sandiway, Cuddington, Oakmere, Lostock, Wincham and Davenham all of which will potentially generate further traffic flows into Hartford worsening the current congestion from all directions.

Disregarding preservation of the village, sustainability issues, protection of the greenfields and land of local environmental value, traffic congestion and emissions really is a major impact.

Furthermore Imperial College London have only just released results of studies indicating the adverse impact on school children walking to school alongside congested roads and the negative impact that this has had on lung function. Therefore whether it constitutes a material change in the number of cars or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the situation online bad enough at present, at over capacity and thus even a small change is unsustainable if not appropriately mitigated and becomes material (a fact that highways has already conceded does not appear possible even with the some of the most sophisticated suggestions made by the developpers).