Local plan scoping consultation

As a resident that boarders Elwood way (leading to Peter Destapleigh way). I see first hand the impact of our already maxed road network - at rush hours there are huge queues backing up usually across junctions which makes the school run unsafe.

Add to the mix another X number homes and X additional vehicles (around 2 per household at minimum) and we’ll be at breaking point! We’ve all heard about the HGV traffic is affecting the area and the likes of Baddington bridge- with increased traffic we will also see a deterioration in road surfaces in a quick timeframe but also the additional pollution to an area full of young families and schools.

While I acknowledge that the Council currently cannot demonstrate a 5-Year Housing Land Supply, the adverse impacts of this proposal significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. The "Tilted Balance" under NPPF Paragraph 11(d) is therefore disengaged.

1. Severe Cumulative Highways Impact (NPPF Para 115) The developer’s Transport Assessment is invalid. It uses data from 2024, which ignores the 7.5T weight limit placed on the A530 Baddington Bridge in September 2025.

The developer's Transport Assessment is fundamentally flawed as it fails to acknowledge that Broad Lane was officially designated as a Formal Signed Diversion Route by Cheshire East Council in October 2025. This road is now a critical relief artery for HGVs diverted from the 7.5T Baddington Bridge. Adding a major residential access point to a strategic HGV relief route creates an unacceptable and 'severe' risk to highway safety that has not been modelled in this application

* Town Centre Gridlock: The data fails to model the cumulative impact on Nantwich town centre bottlenecks (Peacock Roundabout and London Road). It now takes me half a hour to commute a short distances on my work commute due to gridlocked traffic. Similarly as previously mentioned, the school commute with my daughters is dangerous due to the volume of diverted HGVs on Broad Lane.

2. Technically Obsolete Drainage & Weaver Catchment Risk The Drainage Strategy relies on outdated "FEH 2013" rainfall data and fails to account for the actual saturation levels seen in Winter 2025/26.
* The Weaver Bottleneck: The plan ignores "tide-locking"—where the River Weaver reaches peak capacity (as seen in early 2026), meaning this site's run-off will have nowhere to go and will back up into Stapeley.
* Clay Saturation: The "Phase 1 Desk Study" assumes theoretical soakage, but the heavy clay soil here acts as a concrete slab.I witnessed the fields south of the site underwater for weeks this winter as well as other areas of the town flooded (Newcastle road railway crossing etc).

3. Infrastructure at Breaking Point The developer’s "Statement of Community Involvement" ignores the local reality of service provision. Our primary schools and GP surgeries are over-subscribed and we cannot get a space with an NHS dentist either! Not to mention the false promises and ongoing saga of the Kingsbourne estate which is still not finished.

4. Severe Impact on Nantwich Town Centre Capacity The Transport Assessment fails to model the cumulative impact on Nantwich town centre’s key junctions, specifically the Peacock Roundabout and the London Road/Elwood Way junction.
* Strategic Failure: By treating this 411-home site in isolation, the developer ignores the "total gridlock" scenario facing Nantwich.
* The Reality: With the 7.5T Baddington Bridge limit effectively closing a key southern artery, more traffic is being forced into the town's core.
* Has the developer modeled the 'worst-case scenario' of 411 additional vehicles trying to navigate the town during a simultaneous level-crossing closure and HGV diversion?
Adding 400+ homes without town-centre junction upgrades will bring Nantwich to a permanent standstill, not to mention addition pollution, traffic congestion and unwanted wear and tear to our beautiful town.

I urge you to refuse this application.


Yours sincerely,

Steven Hern