Councillors are hoping a solution has been found to their safety concerns about a new development on the edge of a village.

Earlier this year, fears were shared about the potential safety of people trying to cross the road outside a new 83 home development proposed in Stretham.

The plans were put forward by Long Term Land Limited, which proposed to build a mix of flats and houses and make all of the new homes available as affordable housing.

Two other applications to develop the land had been approved in the past, including one to build 19 homes and another to build 38 homes.

When the latest plans were presented to councillors in April, Councillor Julia Huffer said she was worried that people would “have to take their life in their hands” crossing the A10 from the proposed development to the rest of the village.

No concerns about the development had been raised by the highways team at Cambridgeshire County Council, but councillors at East Cambridgeshire District Council said they still had concerns.

Therefore they decided to commission their own independent traffic safety assessment for the development.

At a planning committee meeting on June 5, councillors heard that the results of this assessment had now been reported back, and that a new controlled pedestrian crossing was recommended to be created across the A10 if the development went ahead.

A representative of the developer said they were happy to change the plans to incorporate this crossing and said they were already working on the design.

However, councillors were told the highways team at the county council would need to agree to the crossing for it to be built.

The committee was asked to therefore defer making a decision on the application to give the developer time to work with the highways team at the county council to try and agree a plan for the controlled crossing.

Cllr Huffer said she had been concerned about how “mothers with small children were going to get across the A10 with any degree of safety”, but said she now had confidence in the developer if the proposed crossing was put in place.

Councillor Chika Akinwale said in her “ideal world” the speed limit along the A10 would also be reduced and new speed cameras installed to “ensure safety of any child crossing that road”.

However, she said she was happy to support the proposed deferral to enable the developer and highways officers to discuss the potential controlled crossing.

Councillor Martin Goodearl said he wanted to thank the developer for agreeing to support the controlled crossing recommended by the independent report.

Councillor Bill Hunt said he still had concerns, suggesting that some children may not walk up to the controlled crossing but would try to run across the road.

He said he would be “uncomfortable” supporting any development that could put children in “danger”.

Cllr Huffer said she did not think there was an “ideal” place to put the crossing, but said she believed no children were “so stupid to attempt to cross that road if there is a crossing”.

She added that if the county council highways team did not support the introduction of the controlled crossing, then she asked for them to come in person to the next meeting to justify why they opposed it.

Planning officers said they could not force the highways team to attend a planning meeting, but said they would ask.

The committee agreed to give the developer more time to work on the plans to add a controlled pedestrian crossing over the A10 from the development.