MAJOR works at Barclays Bank’s Radbroke Hall campus have been accepted — despite concerns over traffic.

Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board overwhelmingly approved the plans, with a condition that a travel plan be agreed with a new liaison committee.

Under the plans, Barclays will demolish Kilburn House, Lovelace House and Brooker House to create a "Town Square", and extend Turing House, Babbage House, and Furber House.

The bank also has outline planning permission to construct a new office building on the site of Kilburn House in the future.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner, representing Knutsford, said: “I have serious reservations but I do not believe they are so bad it can be refused. [We should have a] proposal to have a travel plan with up to date data to ensure that if the number of employees increased, there would be no increase in car numbers.

“I hope that they will listen to us and work with us and the local people. I think it is very important that we as a council are not reticent in asking for a travel plan that does not just [control] the transport going to and from the site, but it is also a positive role-model for future rural development.”

Earlier, Cllr Kathy Doyle, from Peover Superior Parish Council, claimed that a 2018 application for the site said that staff number would remain the same — but they had in fact increased.

In response, agents said the creation of 14 per cent extra floor space was driven by ‘colleague experience and not to cram in more staff’.

The new liaison committee will feature representatives from CEC, the company, and local parish councils.