THE recommendation by a government planning inspector to close a stretch of the existing A3, following the £371 million proposed Hindhead tunnel scheme, has received a mixed reaction. In Grayshott, residents are reeling at the decision, opening up a war of words and slamming the six-month public inquiry as "a sham". Supporters, meanwhile, have greeted the news with unbridled "delight". The long-awaited inspector's report was finally published at the end of last week, nearly a year-and-a-half after the six-month public inquiry into the proposals came to an end. But the joint decision by the heads of government departments to back the scheme is still subject to a six-week consultation over the spiralling costs of the proposals, which have more than tripled since early estimates in the year 2000 of £107m to nearly £371m. The report has sparked a fierce backlash from objectors, among them the leader of East Hampshire District Council, Ferris Cowper, Dick Smith, the former chairman of the now disbanded STOAT (Save the Old A3) and Clive Slaughter, the chairman of Grayshott Parish Council, all of whom have lived in the village for many years. "The inspector's report was crushingly disappointing," said Mr Cowper. "So many ordinary people contributed what money they could spare to pay for a barrister to represent our views, but we were not listened to," claimed Mr Cowper. He takes issue with the inquiry, which not only allowed the supporters and objectors to air their views, but then gave free rein for the supporters, including the Highways Agency, to rebut the objectors. "It makes you wonder just how many hurdles a small community has to jump to win democracy and fairness," said Mr Cowper. And he continued: "Just to rub salt into the wound, there is to be a secret meeting between the government and the National Trust to see about reimbursing its costs." Mr Cowper is also furious that the inspector rejected the idea of leaving the old A3 open for a trial period and attacked "the dodgy traffic forecasts for Grayshott" as being "heavily flawed". "In short, justice was neither done nor seen to be done. It looks like this inquiry was a sham when it comes to the really contentious issues. "The National Trust has all it wants, including its land exchange and even the chance of getting all its money back. Grayshott won no concessions and is £50,000 out of pocket." Mr Smith was equally dismissive of the public inquiry chaired by Alan Gray, an independent inspector appointed by the First Secretary of State and the Secretaries of State for Transport and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and assisted by John Watson. "Given the power of the National Trust, I hoped it would have given more thought to human beings rather than a few winged insects." "At the end of the day, any blockage in the tunnel is going to mean chaos for Grayshott, and in the world we are living in sabotaging the tunnel is also a possibility. "It would be calamitous for the local area," said Mr Smith And he believed: "Turning Hindhead into a cul-de-sac can do no real good for Hindhead businesses." Closing the old A3, he reiterated, "just flies in the face of logic - I am devastated". And he declared: "There is no doubt in my mind that without the overwhelming power and the threats bandied about by the National Trust during the inquiry, they would not have been given permission for a tunnel without an act of parliament. "It paid for a Queen's Counsel all the way through the hearing and spent thousands upon thousands of pounds of their subscribers' money." Mr Smith concluded: "It will be interesting to see the full report and see what Mr Gray has based his judgement on concerning environmental gains." Mr Slaughter too said he was "bitterly disappointed" that the inspector did not give more weight to Grayshott residents in deciding to close the old A3 once the tunnel is built. "It is going to have a detrimental effect on businesses in Grayshott and we still have great concerns about the safety of the tunnels should there be a fire, and the need to divert heavy goods traffic through the narrow roads of Liphook and Haslemere." In stark contrast a statement from the National Trust and its partners supporting the A3 road improvement project at Hindhead welcomed the inspector's report. "I am delighted that the Secretary of State is minded to accept the inspector's report, particularly the recommended closure of the old A3. This means that the communities around Hindhead will at last get a transport solution that will not only reduce traffic congestion, but will also deliver high environmental, recreational and safety benefits," said Sue Saville, regional director National Trust. "The A3 Hindhead project will be a major opportunity to reunite one of the most dramatic and inspirational landscapes in the South East for nature conservation, recreation and tourism purposes. It will also bring significant environmental and potential economic gains to Hindhead and its people. For the National Trust, this is the culmination of many years of working with other local organisations to find a solution to address the congestion issues and to protect and enhance this internationally important landscape." The Countryside Agency and English Nature have also given the project its blessing. Waverley Borough Council has also welcomed the inspector's report and the benefits it can bring to a regenerated Hindhead. A spokesman said the council had long recognised the adverse effect of the dirt, fumes, dust and noise of the A3 traffic on both the environment of Hindhead and on its economic prosperity. "Evidence was presented at the inquiry that the traffic levels on the A3 provide a hostile environment for both pedestrians and cyclists, that regeneration of the Hindhead crossroads area as a tourism and recreational hub would be facilitated by the removal of the A3 and that the environment for people, businesses and wildlife would be greatly enhanced. In recognition of this the council has published a brief for a supplementary planning document for the area. "Now that the Secretaries of State have indicated that, subject to the outcome of a further consultation on the costs and benefits of the proposed scheme, the council can commence work on examining ways of rejuvenating, improving and enhancing the area in line with this brief. The council will work with the National Trust, English Nature, the local chamber of commerce, Surrey County Council, Haslemere Town Council and other partners to achieve this. The emphasis of this work will be on enabling residents and businesses to foster the environmental characteristics of the area, expand its economic opportunities and take advantage of its cultural and historic qualities. "This work cannot, of course, start until the final decision has been made." The inspector's report, a weighty tome of 323 pages was released after the Secretaries of State published their joint decision that they were "minded to" accept the inspector's recommendations. The final decision will be taken following the consultation exercise into the huge increase in estimated costs, put down to significant inflationary costs in the construction industry since the contract was first awarded to Balfour Beatty in 2002. It has also been affected by the three-year delay in the start of the projected tunnel scheme since the start of the inquiry, and new health and safety rules over the reduction and disposal of pollutants during construction of the tunnel. The proposals will divert some four miles (6.7 km) of the existing A3 Portsmouth to London trunk road into a one-and-a-quarter mile (1.9 km) twin bored tunnel which passes under the Devil's Punch Bowl, ridding he Hindhead crossroads of the present notorious bottleneck and the only traffic lights on the road between Portsmouth and London, for ever.
