Cllr Eddie Strengiel, who represents the Birchwood division on Lincolnshire County Council, explains the council's objection to the Western Growth Corridor plans for Lincoln.
Cllr Strengiel said:
"On the land just off Skellingthorpe Road, the City of Lincoln Council plans to build 3,200 homes as part of the Western Growth Corridor development.
"The county council has had to object to these plans as they stand, because of their potential to cause traffic chaos in this area of the city.
"The development would take place in phases, and for the first phase, they plan to build 300 homes with direct access to Skellingthorpe Road. However, there is nothing in the plans to directly mitigate the impact that hundreds of cars will have on the traffic around here.
"Many of you know this area gets very busy around Skellingthorpe Road and Tritton Road, especially at peak times. It is clear that this approach would add an unacceptable amount of traffic and make congestion much worse.
"Residents would see an increase journey time and it would impact heavily on the environment.
"As part of the wider plans, there is talk of bridges over the railway at Tritton Road and Beevor Street. However, there is no clear indication of who is going to pay for these bridges, or when they might be built.
"Surely at least one of these key connections needs to be in place before any major development can start.
"If we want this development to succeed, we need a commitment to both the existing residents, and the future residents of the development, that the right infrastructure is in place before people move in.
"Trying to shoe-horn in highways improvements further down the line will only cause more disruption. It’s far easier to include these measures from the start.
"It is also 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.
"As a local authority, residents have to be our top priority, which is why we've had no choice but to submit our objection as a county council.
"If residents wish to submit their own views on the proposals, they can find the application on the City of Lincoln Council's website."