CAMPAIGNERS are stepping up their battle to stop a major road being diverted through a new Winchester estate.

Members of Kings Barton Residents Association have launched a petition to increase pressure on road chiefs to reverse the diversion decision made in 2013.

That diversion will see Andover Road closed to through traffic and the traffic directed along Winchester Avenue that goes through the middle of the Kings Barton development.

The new estate currently has 450 households out of the planned 2,000 being built by Cala Homes.

READ MORE HERE: Campaign launched to stop diversion of Andover Road through Kings Barton

The campaigners, Mike Slinn and Nigel Palmer, gathered signatures from passers-by on Winchester High Street on Friday.

They say they have gathered around 3,000 names in total, comprising 1,900 online and around 1,000 on paper, all of the latter from Hampshire.

Association committee member Nigel Palmer said 95 per cent of the current 450 Kings Barton households had signed the petition.

Mr Palmer said: "We have 3,500 people signed up. We would like Hampshire County Council to reconsider their decision made ten years ago. We don't believe they need to close Andover Road to meet their ambitions and goals.

"We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support and also by the number of people who did not know about the closure."

SEE ALSO: Progress on building Barton Farm

The campaigners say it will be wrong for 15,000 vehicles a day to go through the middle of the new development, increasing road casualties. The diversion will also increase traffic on other local roads through Littleton, Weeke and Harestock.

Dropping the diversion would require a new planning application which Cala has indicated in the past it is not willing to do.

The issue may be discussed at the Kings Barton Forum, a city council committee involving councillors, residents and Cala Homes, on Tuesday evening.

Mr Slinn will give a presentation at the county council meeting on Thursday.

 

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