AFTER more than 30 years of trying to solve the problems of one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the South, the long-awaited public inquiry into the controversial A3 Hindhead tunnel scheme opened on Tuesday.

Held in the parkland setting of Branksome Conference Centre on the Hindhead Road, Haslemere, government planning inspector Alan Gray, assisted by John Watson, came together with barristers and local campaigners for the final showdown of the A3 saga.

The arguments for and against the tunnel have been well rehearsed after years of debate, but this week heralded the beginning of between six and eight weeks of passionate claims and counter claims of the merits of the scheme, much of it hinging on whether the existing section of the old A3 should be closed once the tunnel is open.

But while the Highways Agency and the National Trust - the major land owner affected by the tunnel scheme - will put their case for the government-backed tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl, it is also the chance for significant numbers of protest groups, local authorities, objectors and counter objectors to have their say.

And as the hi-tech of computer wizardry vied with bookcases filled with hundreds of files compiled over the years on the notorious road junction -where fatal accidents, traffic jams and alternative road schemes have dominated local news headlines for decades - more than a hundred people and TV cameras looked on as battle commenced.

The costly road scheme, at the last count in 2001 set to cost nearly £240m, includes a 1.9 km tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl beauty spot at Hindhead Commons, and the most controversial feature of all - a new roundabout and interchange at Hazel Grove.

When the draft orders for the scheme were published last October, it elicited a total of 661 responses. In all 421 came from objectors and around 183 were recorded as representations. The scheme attracted just 57 supporters.

On Tuesday it was the turn of six of the major players to present their opening submissions.

Speaking for the Highways Agency (HA), barrister Christopher Lewsley outlined the advantages of the scheme which he hoped "would lead the inspector to recommend to the Secretaries of State that the scheme should proceed without delay."

Mr Lewsley concluded that a solution to the traffic problems of Hindhead - the only single carriageway of the main A3 trunk road between London and Portsmouth - was closer than it had ever been.

"It is an opportunity for this locality which should now be realised."

John Hobson QC, speaking for the National Trust, urged Mr Gray to see the scheme as a "once in a life time opportunity to remove the heavy flow of traffic around the Punch bowl, to re-unite the historic Common and restore the natural beauty of the landscape for the enjoyment of all."

Although a strong supporter of the project, the NT still has a number of "unresolved objections", the inquiry heard.

Presenting its submissions, the Save The Old A Three (STOAT) campaign group had engaged the services of barrister Michael McParland, thanks to the generous pledges of more than £50,000 from Grayshott villagers.

He told the inquiry what while STOAT supported the construction of the tunnel, it was "strenuously opposed to the closure of the old A3."

And Mr McParland accused the HA and NT of putting forward a "close the old A3, or it is no deal" scheme and "wilfully ignoring" the objections of STOAT and others, claiming it could be to the detriment to the schools close to the Hazel Grove interchange.

Colin Hall, for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), told the inquiry that the organisation supported the closure and removal of the A3 in the scheme and "would be totally opposed to any scheme which sought to keep the old A3 open."

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Also making his voice heard was Michael Nyman who defended the alternative Outer Western Bypass, a scheme, which has been on the books for 16 years and not supported by the HA.

Making the point for cyclists was Alan McCalden from Waverley Cycling Forum who called the proposed removal of the section of the existing A3 "a catastrophe" for cyclists.

"The current plans violate government requirements in places and ignore the recommendations of experienced local users in many others," declared Mr McCalden.

The inquiry also heard the first proof of evidence of the day from the HA when its team leader for the project, Paul Arnold outlined the tunnel scheme including its history and development and need.

The case for the HA was set to continue for the rest of the week, concluding on Tuesday of next week when the inquiry will examine the effects on local traffic and hear the views of a number of action groups.

Work on the tunnel is planned to start next year with completion in 2009.