A new bus service must come arrive on a Preston estate when the first of 1,100 new homes goes up, a community leader has said.
Coun Christine Abram, who represents Lea on the city’s council, said people living in Cottam could not wait for 150 homes to be built as part of a huge new development before a new rapid service was brought in.
Under plans set to be approved, the Homes and Communities Agency will pay £1.2m over five years towards a new service once work gets underway on the 151st home.
The plans which will see shops, community facilites and a children’s play area built on 130 acres of land are expected to be passed by council planners next month despite more than 100 objections.
Coun Abram said: “Once building gets underway, we need the bus service straight away, because people are already saying the service they get now is not sufficient.
“If we wait until the 151st home to start going up, we could have up to another 400 cars in the area anyway.
“We have to encourage people who move into these new homes to think about taking a bus rather than car, so we have to have a bus service ready and waiting when they get here.”
She said the area, bounded by Hoyles Lane, Sidgreaves Lane, Lea Road and the Lancaster Canal, had been earmarked for a major house-building project.
Coun Abram said: “When I moved here 18 years ago, they were targeting developing this area, so it has been coming.”
County Coun Bill Winlow, who represents the area on Lancashire County Council, said he was pleased to see transport improvements among the conditions placed on the HCA.
It includes upgrades to the motorway junction at Broughton and improvements to Lightfoot Lane and Tom Benson Way.
He said: “We need to have some teeth with these developers and it finally appears to be happening.”
The application attracted 30 letters of objection and a petition of 95 signatures.
They raised a number of fears including over increased traffic caused by the development.
The application is recommended for approval, with 33 conditions, by the city council’s planning committee which meets to debate it on Monday, October 1.
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