RESIDENTS of private housing estates in Abergele say their lives will be made intolerable if plans for 72 new houses are given the go-ahead.

Anwyl Homes want to build the new properties on land off Llanfair Road but objectors say the development will exacerbate the existing traffic problems in the area.

Householders in Ffordd Tanrallt and Lon Dirion say that many motorists already use their estate as a “rat-run” to reach the A547 road to avoid the traffic lights in the centre of town.

Last year a survey commissioned by Conwy Borough Council found that the junction was already operating at or near capacity, especially at peak periods in the morning and afternoon.

Consultants Atkins said: “This suggests that the current signal arrangements cannot be expected to cater for significantly more traffic than currently experienced on a typical say.”

But Axis, the consultants engaged by the developers said the lights could cope with the 3 percent increase which the development was estimated to produce .

The site was designated in Conwy’s local development plan as a contingency allocation, to be kept in reserve if Conwy’s targets for new housing could not otherwise be met. According to Anwyl Homes the authority is currently behind target.

Residents argue that local schools and the medical centre are already under pressure, and with 140 houses also proposed by Macbryde Homes to the west of the town local services will be unable to cope.

In their letters to the council many point out that their estate roads were not designed to cope with current levels of traffic, especially the growing number of lorries, tractors and other heavy vehicles trying to avoid the town centre.

“Traffic coming into Abergele is already backed up to the motorway (sic) and it can take 30 minutes to reach the town centre,” said one. “The town’s roads cannot support this additional traffic.”

Several of the objectors say their retirement is already being spoiled by the noise and dust from passing traffic and some have renewed the call for a new link road between Llanfair Road and the A547 near the Threeways roundabout.

But planning consultant Goodwins state: “There are no planning or technical reasons for delaying the release of this site. It can make an immediate contribution to the much-needed open market and affordable housing needs in Abergele.”