A campaign group is calling for an independent body to review how new housing plans will affect traffic using the Burnham Road, arguing that Essex County Council will have a conflict of interest when it comes to providing highways advice to Chelmsford City planners.

The call comes from the Woodham Infrastructure Group, which has been campaigning for a by-pass at South Woodham Ferrers if plans to build an extra 1,200 homes on land north of the town go ahead.

The group, founded by local campaigners Mike Benning, Alan Brunning and John Cormack, have expressed "grave concern" that Essex County Council (ECC) is the authority making final decisions on highways issues in this case when it could be considered to have a financial interest in the development going ahead.

The group's fears over any by-pass for South Woodham Ferrers being ruled out

A spokesperson for the Woodham Infrastructure Group said: "They [ECC] are negotiating with Countryside Properties to sell them a further 116 acres of land (40 acres for development)."

"The next stage is for the developers to submit their detailed planning application. At that stage they will release traffic flow data from the Burnham Road B1012, carried out in February 2020.

"The result of that survey has been kept secret for over a year and wasn't available to the public during the consultation period.

"ECC and Chelmsford City Council are adamant that once the

development is completed, South Woodham Ferrers doesn't need a new by-pass.

"Their 'Masterplan' focuses on traffic movement to and from the new housing area and hasn't taken account of the cumulative impact of all the new development including that in Maldon District and the Dengie, plus construction and workforce traffic for Bradwell B if it receives government approval.

"Normally the highway authority would assess the latest traffic data but Essex County Council has an obvious conflict of interest."

The group argues that current plans to place six unco-ordinated traffic light pedestrian crossings and another small roundabout on the Burnham Road will create gridlock, increase toxic pollution due to stop-start traffic close to a primary school and potentially force many motorists to divert along the Ferrers Road, through the centre of the town or use Edwins Hall Lane, a country lane with blind bends and a blind summit, as a rat run.

The group's spokesperson added: "Our aim is to see whether or not there is a way of getting all those concerned sitting round a table and thrashing out a solution that works for

everyone - and, in an ideal world, this would then be put to the residents for their approval.

"We are all aware of the need for housing - but the notion that large-scale housing developments can be dumped hither and

thither without the infrastructure improvements needed to support them needs to be quashed."

Essex County Council sees no conflict of interest

However, ECC responded by saying that because different departments of the council are responsible for land sales and highways, any advice provided to Chelmsford City Council on the highways aspect of the planning application will be "transparent".

An ECC spokesperson said: "Any planning application will be decided by Chelmsford City Council. The city council will consult the highway authority which is a separate part of the county council to the property service which is looking after any disposal.

"The final decision on planning is taken by Chelmsford City Council after taking whatever advice it considers appropriate. Any advice given to the city council by the highway authority will be transparent and available to the public."