Plans to build nearly 300 new homes in Buckden are being recommended for approval despite objections from three parish councils and more than 200 people.

The Church Commissioners for England are seeking outline permission to build up to 290 homes on 36 acres of land, off Silver Street, together with landscaping and groundworks.

Planners at Huntingdonshire District Council are recommending that the scheme gets the go-ahead from the authority’s Development Management Committee on September 20.

A traffic lights system at the congested roundabout between the High Street and the A1 would have to be installed as part of the plan and the developers would have to spend millions of pounds on community facilities to offset its impact.

Buckden Parish Council has objected to the scheme, complaining that it would bring further transport problems at the A1 roundabout and the Offord railway crossing.

Nearby Offord Cluny and Offord Darcy echoed similar concerns and Brampton Parish Council was concerned about the impact of extra traffic in its village.

The council received 207 representations about the plan, 205 of which were objections, many of which cited traffic problems and the general impact on the community.

Local councillor Hamish Masson also objected to the development, saying there was a history of flooding from the Taylors Lane stream, the traffic volumes submitted by the developer were “understted” and the housing proposed did not meet the identified needs in the Buckden Neighbourhood Plan.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said: “The proposed development would have an adverse impact on the character of the landscape and the setting of the village. Any decision would be premature prior to the strategic study into the A1 and A14.”

There has been an earlier application for up to 400 homes off Silver Street and 195 off Mill Road.

Forty per cent of the proposed new homes would be “affordable” and developers would be expected to put nearly £3m into educational facilities, together with nearly £110,000 into the GP surgery.

However, council planners said: “The application must be assessed on its own merit against the relevant policies and has been found to accord with the broad principles of use, location and number of dwellings set out within the allocation.”

The county Highways authority has said it is happy with the transport proposals.