Richardson Road subdivision hinges on traffic lights fight

Port Stephens councillors will decide this month whether to approve a 24-lot subdivision on Richardson Road, Raymond Terrace, in a vote likely to hinge on whether the developer should build traffic lights on one of the area's busiest roads.

Council staff are recommending the application for 211-217 Richardson Road be approved when the full council meets on November 24.

The application, however, will not be decided by planning staff after councillors Giacomo Arnott and Peter Francis called it for council debate on September 1, writing on the call-up form that they "cannot support a signalised intersection at this road junction".

The development, lodged by Land Specialists, would turn four lots on a 3.2-hectare site into 24.

Two of the four lots were created in an earlier stage and already hold houses.

The other two would be carved into 20 new residential lots ranging from 503 square metres to 1981 square metres.

The proposal includes a new 360-metre road, a 3605-square-metre drainage reserve to be handed to the council, footpaths, bike lanes, retaining walls and signals at the intersection of Richardson Road and Benjamin Lee Drive.

The value of works is listed at about $1.9 million.

The success of the application is likely to rely on the palatability of traffic control options with councillors.

Richardson Road is a state road, so Transport for NSW has a say in how it is upgraded.

A council traffic report prepared for the meeting says that after considering unsignalised, roundabout and traffic-light options, council engineers and Transport for NSW concluded a two-lane traffic light intersection was the best outcome.

The report says an option that only allowed left turns in and out would fail at peak times, with right-turning drivers facing modelled average delays of 4.3 minutes in the morning and 13.5 minutes in the afternoon.

A single-lane roundabout was not supported because it did not show how pedestrians and cyclists would cross safely or cope with future traffic.

A two-lane roundabout would need land acquisition and more vegetation removal, the report says.

The report notes schools, sports fields, a church and Lakeside Shopping Centre are south of Richardson Road, meaning children and families would need to cross it.

The subdivision is forecast to generate 178 vehicle trips a day by 2035.

The developer would pay for the lights, and the report says Transport for NSW would fund maintenance.

The traffic report was prepared in response to a notice of motion from the September 22 council meeting, which asked for signals and roundabouts to be compared, noting a preference for roundabouts where suitable.

Two submissions were received in each of the first two exhibition periods, and two submissions in support were received when Stage 2 was re-exhibited from August 24 to September 7.

One praised the traffic lights for making it safer for families to reach the Lakeside Sporting Complex.

The council says developer contributions will be payable for the 20 new lots.

The report warns that refusing the application could trigger a NSW Land and Environment Court appeal by the applicant, which it rates as a high risk.