LOSTOCK residents are urging planners to take a close look at a proposed development site at peak times to consider its true impact on their already congested village.

Plans for 23 business units, two hotels, a restaurant and a convenience store at Lostock Triangle were expected to be passed by the planning committee last month but the application was deferred to allow officials to visit the site and will now go before the committee on Tuesday.

At the village's annual parish meeting residents unanimously decided to ask the committee to pay particular attention to the potential peak time impact on Birches Lane, School Lane, Griffiths Road, Lostock estate, the roundabout and Ascol Drive.

Lorraine O'Brien, who has lived on Harris Road on the Lostock estate for the past 12 years, fully supports the visit.

She said: "It's going to be terrible if the development goes ahead.

"We look out towards the bypass and that's busy as it is - the amount of large haulage vehicles it gets now is unbelievable.

"It's already bad enough trying to get off the estate in the mornings."

Lorraine also raised concerns about wildlife in the area.

She said: "There's a bird sanctuary on the other side of the Triangle site so they need to take wildlife into consideration."

Although the Triangle has been earmarked as a site for commercial development since the late 1990s, Lorraine says that it is not necessary and she and many of her neighbours would rather not have development at all.

She said: "There are a lot of offices in Gadbrook Park that are not taken and lots in Winsford that are nearly all empty.

"To build a hotel and offices here would be terrible when I don't think there is a call for it."

Karen Clarke, who also lives on Harris Road, said: "There's so much more they could build there to add to the environment rather than go against it."