PLANS for a controversial housing estate near Crewe Green roundabout have been deferred by councillors for a second time.

The application to build 149 homes on land off Sydney Road in Crewe came under the critical eye of Cheshire East councillors at the council's strategic planning board on Wednesday (August 18).

David Wilson Homes had already amended the plans, reducing the number of homes from 151 on the triangular shaped site after the board raised concerns about aspects of the proposal at its June meeting.

But the board are still not happy with the amendments.

While resident Victoria Webb-Johnson, who lives next door to the site, said the amended plans for the play area and public open space were now even worse.

"My main safety concern is having an access from a play area directly on to a drive accessed by heavy vehicles," she said. "Who is liable when something happens to a child?"

Odd Rode councillor Patrick Redstone echoed her concerns, while Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner described the application as a "quart in a pint pot".

"The part of the site that goes on to Crewe Green Roundabout looks to have been shoe-horned in," said Cllr Gardiner.

He said there should be pepper-potting of social housing and this wasn't.

"We have deferred this once before but I think it could be even better," he said.

"I'd like to see a reconsideration of how the part of the site adjacent to Crewe Green Roundabout could be improved and, if that means reducing the number of units, it means reducing the number of units."

The application was for 10 one bedroomed, 22 two bedroomed, 85 three bedroomed and 32 four bedroomed homes.

But Cllr Gardiner said he didn't think the site could accommodate 149 units.

"I think there needs to be a revision of this site because we're going right up to the edge on the north of the boundary adjacent to open space, we're squeezing them in by the roundabout," he said.

"This is not central Manchester, this is an area on the edge of the countryside where you should be going from the very dense development in the middle of Crewe to the outskirts, where actually the density of development should be reducing.

"I don't think this is good enough to get an approval so I won't be voting for it."

After recommending deferral he added: "What I'm asking for is a space that is better to live in than what we are presented with at the moment."

Nantwich councillor Peter Groves seconded the deferral.

Crewe Central councillor Anthony Critchley said: "I think we're hamstrung by the local plan. I don't think any development on this area is wanted, it's certainly not needed."

He added: "It's not about the aesthetics or the number it's about what is right and it's about getting it right and we're not there yet."

Cllr Brian Puddicombe, who represents Macclesfield South, said he wasn't sure how much more the application could be approved.

Eight councillors voted to defer the application, one voted against and one abstained.