Highways officials predict severe congestion from even modest increases in traffic from developments surrounding a pinch point junction.

Hundreds of homes are planned for the area surrounding the crossroads in Melton.

One of the proposals – for outline permission to build a care home, business hub and up to 34 new houses in Ufford – prompted a warning from highways officers that the junction was at capacity.

It comes as Bloor Homes starts on 180 properties in Woods Lane – the west artery of the crossroads.

In Ufford – where work has begun on another 34 properties – the old Notcutts nursery site could become Woodbridge Town FC’s new home – freeing space for new housing at the current ground.

Meanwhile, more than 300 objections have been lodged against housing at the old district council offices on Melton Hill.

Extending east along Wilford Bridge Road – via Suffolk Coastal’s new offices – plans were recently revealed for 300 homes on the edge Rendlesham, while neighbouring Bentwaters Parks has been earmarked for a 12-acre film studio complex.

In response to the pending application in Ufford, the county council’s highways authority said the traffic impact on the junction in Melton had not been assessed.

Recent analysis indicated it was ‘at capacity’ and that ‘even modest increases in traffic flows may result in severe congestion’.

A spokesman for the planning authority, Suffolk Coastal District Council (SCDC), said the highways department was a statutory consultee on certain applications, and that the issue of infrastructure, including the capacity of the roads system, was something planners took into account when considering any application.

“The report highlights the difficult situation that exists here and in other rural areas,” added the spokesman.

“There is a huge demand for new housing, particularly affordable homes, but the road system needs to be able to cope with the inevitable increase in traffic.

“SCDC works with highways and the developers to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support any development.”

Suffolk Coastal has started engagement on the review of its Local Plan and is seeking views on where new development will potentially take place.

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