Warnings from Cllr Jan Warwick over threat to Winchester district from 5,000 homes in Eastleigh district

Eastleigh’s proposal for 5,000 homes on greenbelt land will lead to extra traffic and pollution in Otterbourne, Compton and Shawford.

Cllr Warwick, who represents the Downlands division that covers the villages, said the authority’s Liberal Democrats had not listened to her residents, who would be impacted by the Local Plan to concrete over the boundary with Winchester City Council.

She explained there was no evidence around the timing, mitigation, funding and delivery for the development’s proposed link road, or studies showing the impact on the existing road infrastructure.

She also explained the carbon footprint for village residents would be enormous because the plan favours car use and she asked: ‘Why wasn’t a more sustainable location chosen close to a rail link in this busy town originally founded around a railway network?’

The M3 at junctions 12 and 11 would also be impacted but there was little data to explain or solve what will happen when the homes are built with a Systra Traffic Study from April this year unable to explain the potential impact of increased traffic volumes, she said.

There was also no reference in the Systra study to the impact on the M3 Junction 11, the B3335 and the Hockley Link of the M3.

“This is a congested link every day during peak traffic times with traffic backing up along the B3335 through Twyford Village towards Colden Common. What is the proposed mitigation solution for increased traffic that will only worsen congestion at this junction?” Jan said.

She then asked: “What will be the effect of additional traffic on the daily lives of my residents in terms of traffic congestion, noise, pollution and to safely walk to school or the shops?”

And added she wanted Eastleigh Borough Council to pay a financial contribution towards traffic calming measures and additional controlled pedestrian crossing points on Main Road, Otterbourne and Otterbourne Road, Compton.