118-home estate plan for Broughton is back

Preston Council’s planning committee went against advice from officers and rejected an application to build the 118 homes on land near D’Urton Lane almost 12 months ago.

Plans had been submitted for the homes and infrastructure, but councillors refused over fears of a “severe impact” on road safety, and its effect on the Guild Wheel.

But now Charles Church Lancashire has relaunched the plans on behalf of Andrew Forrest, which involve developing the 12-acre site, close to the A6, with homes of two to five bedrooms. Developers, who say 30 per cent of the houses will be affordable homes, conducted a consultation by posting 2,000 leaflets through the doors of the local community, ‘informing them of the development’. The land is currently being used for agricultural purposes.

But critics have slammed the plans as premature, and said they hoped they would be rejected by city planning bosses.

Coun Neil Cartwright, who represents Preston Rural East, said he was concerned about the access onto D’Urton Lane, and the impact on traffic.

He said: “The lane is completely unsuitable for construction traffic and would become a rat run if this is approved. Already there is only certain areas in which you can fit two cars down there so to add huge lorries would be a nightmare for the people living there. No development should compromise road safety and I think this was does.

“I don’t think the people around there are against development but they are against D’Urton Lane being used for construction traffic.”

Mr Cartwright also described the Guild Wheel, which incorporates D’Urton Lane, as the “jewel in Preston’s crown”.

He said: “This is the only part of the Guild Wheel that has problems with traffic and cyclists.

“The Broughton bypass should solve this problem to an extent because it will take traffic away from D’Urton Lane. This development would be a disaster for that area and I hope the committee refuses the scheme again.”