AINSCOUGH Strategic Land made a presentation to the Planning and Environmental Committee of Northwich Town Council in June to show the next stages of the development of the Dane Valley.

It is proposed to build 187 houses, of which 57 are to be affordable.

It was a controversial and narrow decision of Cheshire West and Chester Council's Planning Committee in November, 2014 to give planning permission to build a housing estate and nature park on the flood plain.

There was further controversy as the developers explained their new plan for access to this area.

Number 191 London Road (a house just by the Leftwich/ Kingsmead traffic lights) has been purchased and is to be demolished to make way for the access road to the new housing estate and nature park.

This would necessitate a reconfiguration of the traffic lights, using at least a three-way system.

The additional traffic on London Road, both for the building of the estate and later for the residents, at peak times especially will cause considerable problems for the foreseeable future.

Currently the least hold up causes traffic to back up to Sir John Deane’s College and up Winnington Hill.

Northwich is in the process of reinventing itself, largely as a result of the lifestyle centre and the opportunities offered by the development of Barons Quay.

It would be a pity and an irony if the success of these schemes, initiated and managed by CWAC, were jeopardised by a decision by the same borough’s planning department.

Frances D Findlay Northwich