Plans to build a block flats on the site of a pharmacy have been rejected after a meeting branded “embarrassing” by one councillor.

Officers at Halton Council could not agree on whether the plans to build 12 flats in Appleton Village, Widnes, should be approved after the council’s highways department described the plans as “a danger to highway safety”.

But despite these objections, the council’s planning department recommended approving the proposal as it was in “a highly sustainable location”.

An angry Cllr Dave Thompson told Monday evening’s planning committee meeting that he found the disagreement “embarrassing”.

He said: “We are in a meeting – with a journalist in the meeting – and Halton Borough Council says this application should be approved and Halton Borough Council says this application should be rejected.”

Cllr Thompson went on to criticise the applicant, Nabiel Nasr, for using old data to support the application and described the highways department’s assessment of the plans as “damning”.

He said: “Quite frankly, I don’t think it should have been coming into the committee as it has done in this form.”

The dispute revolved around a lack of parking for the flats, which would form part of a wider development with a neighbouring block already nearing completion.

In total, the development would contain 36 apartments and only 37 parking spaces. These spaces would also have to support customers of Appleton Village Pharmacy, which would be rebuilt under the plans.

Mr Nasr’s agents claimed fewer parking spaces were needed because only 53% of people in Appleton Village owned cars and the flats would have good public transport links and be within easy reach of Widnes town centre.

But highways officer Iain Dignall said the figures were based on nine-year-old census data and the lack of parking would place additional demands on “an area heavily trafficked by children that has already existing traffic problems”.

Mr Dignall also mentioned plans to build a segregated cycling and walking route through the village, which would reduce on-street parking and place further strain on the area, where people were already parking on double yellow lines.

Despite the planning officers recommending approval of the scheme, the committee sided with Mr Dignall’s highways department and unanimously voted to refuse planning permission.