RESIDENTS opposing a planning application in Bromley Cross have taken matters in to their own hands.

Protestors against plans for nearly 100 homes around the Last Drop Village hotel recently gave up hours of their own time to conduct a traffic survey of the area.

Lucy Dean was one of the many residents who wanted to get involved.

She said: “As part of the application a traffic survey was carried out ere has been a traffic survey carried out, organised by the people who want to build there. But we decided to do our own.”

Janet Bentley organised the survey which involved four members of the public standing on Turton Road and Darwen Road for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening rush hour for a week.

Thousands of cars were counted during the sessions. There was an average 400 vehicles on Turton Road between 8am and 9am and an average 700 on the same stretch between 5pm and 6pm.

Mrs Dean who was involved in the count, said: “Living in Bromley Cross you know that you need to add on an extra 40 minutes if you want to get anywhere because that’s how long it takes to get out because of the traffic.

“Before we did the survey we knew that it was bad but the results have shown this and that’s without another 98 homes being built.

“The infrastructure is already strained and won’t be able to take the extra homes.

“The proposed plans will just add to the traffic chaos.”

The plans from Jones Homes are for 98 homes on protected land near to the hotel complex.

If approved, they will be built on two parcels of land either side of Haydock Lane, which is the road approaching the hotel.

Nearly 500 people turned up to a public meeting last week to object to the plans.

The strength of feeling shown at the meeting was echoed by the residents giving up their time for free to carry out the survey.

Mrs Deane added: “People feel very passionately about it, that’s why they agreed to give up their time. We need people to keep objecting up until the cut off date. People need to email rather than post because it will not get there on time.”

The residents will be taking their traffic survey to the council’s planning meeting.

The final date for submitting objections to the application is tomorrow.