ACKENDER Road Residents’ Association is calling for the exclusion of HGVs within Alton town centre to try to mitigate the impact of work to replace the Victorian railway bridge at The Butts.

It is also suggesting that a 20mph speed limit should be enforced along Ackender Road during that period.

More than 40 residents’ association members turned out for last Friday’s annual meeting, concerned over the “chaos” they believe will ensue from the work on the bridge, associated with proposals to build more than 500 new homes to the south of the town.

They heard how developer’s agent Jubb had produced a proposal for road diversions, to be submitted to Hampshire Highways Authority for approval, that would see the southbound flow from the A339 and Odiham Road directed up Whitedown Lane and onto Chawton Park Road to the Chawton roundabout via the narrow Northfield Lane link, which would become one-way in a south-westerly direction.

The northbound flow from the A31 and Selborne Road would be directed along Butts Road, left onto Ackender Road and then left onto Lenten Street to the Basingstoke Road.

According to Ackender Road Residents’ Association spokesman Mike Hayward, the feeling was that under the proposals Ackender Road residents would “find life very difficult indeed for up to six months” and, as there seemed to be few alternatives for diverted traffic, there were pleas to local councillors to ensure that measures would be taken to mitigate the harmful effects.

According to the residents’ association, Jubb has alternative proposals if needed for operational reasons that would either make Ackender Road one-way northbound and retain the current on-road parking arrangements or retain two-way status but with no parking allowed at any time.

The majority of residents supported the one-way proposal with the retention of parking, should it become necessary, pointing out that loss of on-road parking would create real hardship for those residents who have no off-road parking facilities, bearing in mind other roads were already at capacity.

Great concern was expressed also over the safety of pedestrians and cyclists when the extra traffic is diverted along Ackender Road. The road is crossed by five footpaths and a cycle path that are used by large numbers of schoolchildren, students, elderly folk and workers on their way to and from town.

With no central reservation, the residents’ association asks that consideration be given to the provision of toucan crossings for safety.