Road chaos fears over scheme for 450 homes

Taylor Wimpley UK is seeking outline planning permission to build 292 homes on fields, woodland and redundant allotments off Pontefract Road in Featherstone.

The company is also seeking full planning permission for 158 new homes on the same site.

Councillors are being recommended to approve the plans at tomorrow’s meeting of Wakefield Council’s Planning and Highways Committee.

The committee will consider seven letters of objection, including one from Coun Graham Isherwood (Labour/Featherstone).

Coun Isherwood said: “I have got major concerns about the access to the site. It is one road in and one road out from Pontefract Road opposite the Junction pub.

“We have already got problems with heavy traffic on Pontefract Road. At 3pm it ceases to be a road and becomes a car park. My major concern is that feeding more traffic in to it will have a detrimental effect on the town.”

A report to Wakefield Council’s Planning and Highways Committee states: “Access to the development is to be taken from the A645 Pontefract Road which involves creating a fourth arm to the existing signals.

“There is only one vehicular point of access in to the site, however it has been indicated through the outline element of the scheme pedestrian and emergency access will be provided off Post Office Road.

“The new access will form part of a new signalised junction with pedestrian facilities incorporated in to each arm of the junction.”

And the report concludes: “The site is considered to be sustainable and deliverable and it is considered that the new housing would introduce significant investment in Featherstone which would contribute towards the regeneration of Featherstone.”