Wheel route homes plan set for red light

Melrose Homes wants to build 14 detached houses of five and six bedrooms on land south of D’Urton Lane and east of Midgery Lane in Broughton.

But planners at Preston Council say the application should be thrown out, because of a lack of affordable homes and its impact on highway safety and the Guild Wheel.

Bosses at Melrose Homes say the plans will create “high quality family homes within an attractive environment.” A statement from agent MPSL Planning and Design said the design meant “natural features within the site are retained”, and the “amenity of the adjacent properties” are protected.

Councillors are to discuss the application at a meeting tomorrow. A report to the committee said the site was required to provide 30 per cent affordable housing, but does not provide any.

It said: “The application site is a greenfield site and the proposed density of 14 dwellings per hectare is not considered to represent efficient use of this land. The layout shows 14 large detached properties and it is not considered that there are any material considerations that require density to be this low.”

It added: “The proposed development would, due to the location of the proposed access and egress on Midgery Lane, the lack of visibility for highway users when exiting Midgery Lane, and the proximity of the site to the Guild Wheel, have a severe impact on highway safety and the efficient and convenient movement of all highway users, and would fail to protect and prevent conflict with the existing Guild Wheel cycle route.”

It also said the applicant had failed to demonstrate the site was accessible on foot, by bike and on public transport, and how it would link to the wider area.