Councillors have given the go-ahead for 148 homes in Elgin despite concerns an increase in traffic will cause tailbacks on the road to Lossiemouth.
Barratt North Scotland has been granted planning permission for its Findrassie Myreside housing development.
It is part of a larger masterplan for the area to the north of the town for up to 1,500 homes.
Could Findrassie homes cause junction congestion?
But councillor Sandy Keith raised concerns over the volume of traffic at the Lossiemouth Road and Lesmurdie Road junction.
He said there were often times when the traffic would be backed up down Lesmurdie Road.
And there is a petrol station close to the junction, which could compound the situation.
Mr Keith also asked if there were plans to make improvements to the junction with Morriston Road and Duffus Road.
However he was told investigations showed there was no need to carry out any work at the moment.
At the meeting of the planning committee Mr Keith said: “There seems to be a problem at the Lossiemouth Road Lesmurdie Road junction.
“Whatever the modelling says, the eyes say different.”
What is the Findrassie masterplan?
A total of 111 houses at Findrassie will be offered on the open market. There will also be 37 affordable homes included in the development.
The site extends to 7.24 hectares and the Sey Burn runs west to east along the north boundary, before joining the Loch Spynie Special Protection Area around 2.5 miles from the site.
Agricultural land sits to the the north with new housing and housing currently under construction to the east and south east.
At the moment the site consists of grassland and a construction compound and stored material for the houses currently being built nearby.
No objections were received in relation to the development.
As well as housing, the masterplan includes shops, a community hub and primary school at the site adjacent to the A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road.
It comes as plans for 106 homes at Bilbohall have also been approved by Moray Council.
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