PLANS for a new Norton link road have been branded an “accident waiting to happen”.

Norton county councillor Keane Duncan said proposals to link Beverley Road to Hugden Way raise serious road safety concerns.

A consultation plan detailing the road’s route, as part of a 600-home new housing estate, was unveiled by agent PB Planning last month.

Cllr Duncan said: “A link road here could make such a positive improvement to town traffic, and most importantly alleviate pressure on Mill Street.

“But this particular route worries me. The developer plans to take the link road from Beverley Road, through a busy industrial estate that is only getting busier.

“It would involve vehicles navigating a tricky S-shaped bend and along a road already congested with factory lorries.

“We have seen one major accident on Hugden Way already. I fear linking it up to through traffic could be an accident waiting to happen.

“I am calling on the developer to demonstrate exactly how it intends to mitigate road safety issues, or, ultimately, think again.”

Cllr Duncan said he had been shown plans for an alternative route that would take traffic across land to the east of the Bacon Factory and directly link up to the Brambling Fields roundabout.

He said: “This alternative route could be much safer, and be a more long-term and forward-thinking measure that could cope better with any further development.

“Any alternative route is likely to be more expensive, but local authority funding might be available to cover this.

“I would like to work with the developer, authorities and businesses on the industrial estate to ensure any link road is as safe and as future-proof as possible.”

The developers were unable to provide a comment.