A £595,000 resident-friendly 'Home Zone' project in Whitecross has been given the green light.

Plans to introduce a one-way system and build round speed bumps and raised junctions were approved at a council traffic meeting on Thursday.

Traffic officer Phil Walker urged the committee at the Golden Gates Centre to follow residents' wishes and accept the proposal.

Under separate plans, a 10mph speed limit could also be introduced so that cars are treated as guests in a pedestrian area.

Clr Pauline Nelson said: "If we do not proceed with this scheme after what has been a long consultation process, we would be endangering the Whitecross community's faith in the consultation process."

Tony Blair created a £30m challenge fund for the establishment of Home Zones in 2001.

Home Zones are schemes where the main aim is to change the way the streets are used and to improve the quality of life in residential areas.

Whitecross made a bid for the area bounded by Lovely Lane, A57 Sankey Way, Delamere Street and Sankey Brook and received a grant award of £595,000 from the Department of Transport in January 2002.

A key requirement of the schemes is that any proposals reflect the needs of the local community.

After two years of extensive consultation, including meetings with an elected steering group of 12 residents, it was decided that a one-way system and road humps should be introduced.

Two objections were made by Warrington Cycle Campaign (WCC) representatives, who argued that the one-way restriction should not apply to cyclists and that the speed bumps did not take the comfort of cyclists into account.

WCC secretary, Rod King, said: "Cyclists are seriously disadvantaged by one-way streets.

"They introduce additional distance and delay, which are important considerations when you are powering your own vehicle."