Battlelines drawn as Winchester council closes Alresford road for hunt

Winchester City Council has issued a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which will close Station Road from 10am to 12noon while the Ropley-based hunt meets on December 26.

The city council’s decision to grant the road order has been criticised by members of the public and wildlife protection groups.

Peter Sowerby, of Lavington Gardens, North Baddesley, in a letter to the Hampshire Chronicle called the council’s decision unacceptable.

The Hampshire Hunt (Image: Anna Rainbow Rural Photography)

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He said: “It is clear the closure of Station Road, which is completely unsuitable for horses and hounds to ride down, is to corral and prevent any protesters access to the town, and leaving the road both in and out of Alresford controlled by police stop and search road blocks.

“It is worrying that this arrangement has been planned in advance with the collusion of the Fox Hunt, Winchester council and the police in secret and behind closed doors.”

The decision has also been criticised by anti-hunt campaigners and protest organisations, with Protect the Wild saying: “It is astounding that in 2024, the archaic bloodsport of fox hunting is not only being celebrated but is being supported by councils across the country.

“Boxing Day is the biggest day of the year for hunts across the country; a fundraising event where hunt staff parade in town centres and block streets, while their supporters get drunk. After trying to convince the public that the bloodsport is a quaint rural tradition, the hunts then go off to terrorise foxes, hares and deer in the nearby countryside.”

Winchester City Council has pushed back against the accusations that it is supporting the hunt, with a spokesperson saying: “A road closure application for the Hampshire Hunt’s boxing day meet was received by the city council. It is on the highway and not on city council land. The application is permitted for public safety and highways safety reasons due to the volume of people expected. There's no legal basis to refuse this application for a road closure. No part of the road closure application requires the police to attend, neither have they been asked to. The city council is not permitting anything other than a road closure in this circumstance.”

Sally Evans, one of the hunt masters of the Hampshire Hunt, said that the hunt would only be meeting from 11am for approximately 30 minutes, and told the Chronicle that the hunt has had a long relationship with Alresford.

Station Road (Image: Google Maps)

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She said: “When we were in the process of putting in for the road closure, we did a leaflet drop to all the local residents and businesses, to ask them to come forward with any questions relating to what we were proposing to do in Boxing Day. We didn’t have anyone come forwards with any issues whatsoever.”

She continued: “It is something that is traditional for Hampshire, and we take it to different places in Hampshire.

“We would encourage people to come and see us on Boxing Day, we would be delighted to see as many people as possible come along. We’ve put the closure to have it in Station Road so the main traffic is not interfered with up Broad Street and West Street, and it is a traditional part of Boxing Day, and we would love as many people to come and see us there.”