Cheshire West and Chester’s planning committee may approve six bus stops in Winnington Village, despite resident concerns about their locations.
Cheshire: The planning committee in Cheshire West and Chester will meet next week. They will discuss six bus stops for Winnington Village. These stops are recommended for approval.
However, some councillors want more discussion. Felicity Davies and Arthur Neil raised concerns after residents expressed worries about the bus stop locations.
The plan includes six stops at three spots along the main road. Each spot has two stops, one on each side of the road.
One pair of stops will be near the southern end of Western Way. Another pair will be 400 meters further along Western Way. The last pair will be on Walker Road, close to the neighborhood center.
Residents have shared several concerns. They feel the stops are too close to busy junctions. They worry about safety, especially for young children.
There are also issues with parked cars on Western Way and Walker Road. The road isn’t wide enough for large buses to pass easily.
Residents are also concerned about litter and noise from waiting passengers and buses.
The urban village got outline planning permission back in 2008. Discussions about the bus stops have been ongoing since at least 2017.
A report to the committee states that a bus service can only run once the roads are connected. Progress on this stalled in 2018 but resumed in 2019.
In December 2020, a plan for eight bus stops was submitted. At that time, officials thought the locations were suitable, expecting installation by April 2021.
However, residents complained about the initial scheme. This led to discussions with developers and the bus operator to revise the plan.
The current application has changed based on those discussions. The new stop locations differ from the earlier plan, affecting different residents.
