A recent article in your paper was supportive of the campaign to Keep Andover Road Open rather than diverting its traffic through Kings Barton. But at the end of the article we read: “It has been frequently pointed out that all residents should have been aware of the diversion plans”.

The Kings Barton Residents’ Association Committee was unsure that this statement was correct. So we surveyed residents living on Winchester Avenue, the road onto which Andover Road traffic is planned to be diverted. We asked: “Before you moved into your home were you made aware that Andover Road would be permanently closed and its traffic diverted past your home?”

The survey showed 32 (37 per cent) for “YES I was made aware” and 54 (63 per cent) for “NO I was not made aware”. Clearly the reality is that most residents were not aware of the diversion plans before they moved in and so our survey finds the statement in the article to be incorrect.

Also, several of those who said “YES I was made aware” also told us that CALA staff had informed them that the diversion “might not happen” or “was unlikely to happen”.

 

Mike Slinn,

Chairman,

Kings Barton Residents Association,

Shenton Gardens,

Kings Barton,

Winchester