The Council submitted an objection to plans for the Western Growth Corridor development which would see 3,200 new homes built on land west of Tritton Road in Lincoln.
Under the plans, the first phase of the development would see 300 new homes built off Skellingthorpe Road. Only minor junction improvements would be made on Doddington Road to deal with the extra cars from these homes, unreasonably expecting residents to use alternative busy routes.
This approach would add an unacceptable amount of traffic to an already congested area of the city. We would see increased journey times and it would impact heavily on the environment at a time when authorities are expected to offer more sustainable travel options.
For the key connections between the new development and the city – including bridges over the railway to Tritton Road and Beevor Street – there is no clear indication of how they will be funded or when they might be delivered.
Along the Skellingthorpe Road corridor into the city, the plans include no provision for highways improvements, other than the new site access road opposite Birchwood Avenue.
Cllr Eddie Strengiel, who represents the Birchwood division on Lincolnshire County Council, said: "With 300 houses and nothing to directly mitigate the effects of extra cars on the road, it’s clear the scheme has real potential to make already difficult congestion far worse.
"We would ask that City of Lincoln Council makes a commitment to both the existing residents, and the future residents of the development, that they will put the right infrastructure in place, at the right time, before people move in."
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, added: “If the development is to succeed, it is vital that residents have realistic alternatives to travelling by car, which means including more sustainable options such as passenger transport, cycle paths and footpaths, and connections to destinations beyond the boundary of the site.
“It’s far easier to include these measures from the start than try to shoe-horn them in later, causing even more disruption.
"The proposed first phase of development provides direct access to Skellingthorpe Road, which we all know is an already congested part of the highway network. This amount of extra traffic which will be added to Skellingthorpe Road is unacceptable, for which we have no option but to raise an objection.
“They can’t lose sight of the fact that, as a local authority, their residents have to be their top priority.”
If residents wish to submit their own views on the proposals, they can find the application on the City of Lincoln Council's website – visit www.lincoln.gov.uk/planning.