WORK on Winchester’s largest housing development for 30 years could be delayed due to a highways dispute, a meeting has heard.

Winchester city and Hampshire county councillors met for an update on the progress of Barton Farm, which will see 2,000 new homes built to the north of Winchester.

The first phase, known as 1A and 1B, consists of 423 homes, which Cala Homes has been given the go-ahead to start.

They hope work will start on 1B, in the north of the site, before Christmas this year, with the first properties for sale in summer 2015, and 1A, to the south, later next year.

However, work could be delayed over safety concerns with the road layout, maintenance and speed limit reduction to 20mph.

Robert Westwood, project director, said: “We still await any communication from Hampshire Highways. It’s a personal risk for us getting started without those things being agreed on.”

He added: “We will be meeting with Hampshire Highways to thrash it out and say ‘actually no, this is what we are proposing’, hear their views and then hopefully come to a conclusion.”

As part of the planning consent, which was granted in 2012, it was agreed that a diversion would be created at Andover Road North at the junction with Harestock / Wellhouse Lane, that Stoney Lane would be extended eastwards to form a new junction with New Andover Road and the creation of pedestrian and cycling routes along Andover Road.

It also will form a New Andover Road on an alignment to the east of the current route, and re-connection with Andover Road to the north of Park Road, form new access from New Andover Road for homes on Andover Road North and improvements to existing public rights of way.

The development is expected to take up to ten years, and will include a new primary school, office space, 60-bed nursing home and district energy centre.