Councillors have agreed to let the developer of a major housing estate delay the construction of its access roundabout.

Bellway Homes was originally required to provide the roundabout for the 200-home estate at Baldwin's Gate Farm once 50 of the properties had been built.

But now Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has agreed to change the trigger point for the roundabout to 100 homes.

The developer said it needed the extra time to obtain planning consents for the highway changes and carry out the works.

Earlier this year, the borough council's planning committee agreed to a similar delay to required improvements to junctions between the A51 and A53. Planning committee members said that having made that decision they had no choice but to approve the latest change.

Chris O'Hanlon, senior planning manager at Bellway, told the committee that the developer had so far built 14 homes at Baldwins Gate Farm and expected to reach the 50-home threshold later this year.

He said the proposal to change the trigger point to 100 homes had received no objections from highways officers or Whitmore Parish Council.

Mr O'Hanlon said: "We are not seeing to remove these obligations and they will be implemented."

advertisement

The roundabout would be constructed at the existing farm entrance on the A53 Newcastle Road, at the junction with Sandy lane. A separate first phase access off Newcastle Road, closer to Baldwin's Gate, would be stopped up on completion of the roundabout.

Planning officers recommended the new application for approval, saying the change to the 100-home threshold would have no adverse impact on highway safety. Committee chair Paul Northcott said he still had reservations about the delay, but acknowledged the council would not be able to prevent it.

Cllr Northcott said: "I'm not convinced that this is probably the right way to go with this, and I'm sure a lot of residents will be apprehensive about the traffic that's going to ensue from this building work, but we've got to align ourselves to the previous application regarding the A51 junction."

The committee voted unanimously to approve the application.