THE leader of Waverley Borough Council, David Harmer, has nailed his colours to the mast over the A3 tunnel and called for the existing road to remain open once the tunnel is built.

His views are in direct conflict with those of The Highways Agency, Surrey County Council and Waverley, all of which have agreed that the existing A3 around the Devil's Punch Bowl should be closed to traffic and restored to provide pedestrian, pedal cycle and equestrian facilities.

The National Trust is also opposed to a plan that would retain the A3 as a public through-route for vehicles, as is Haslemere Town Council.

Mr Harmer made his comments at the meeting of the Waverley local committee and again afterwards.

"I fundamentally disagree with closing the A3 around the Devil's Punch Bowl," Mr Harmer told the committee. This week he elaborated on his views.

"I represent Hindhead and I don't want the A3 closed. Firstly I think it is quite risky if the occasion happens when one of the tunnels has to close.Where would the traffic go?" he asked.

He believed the A3 should be an alternative route in the event of that happening.

"Under the proposals, the downside of the tunnel problem is that all traffic will go down to the new, planned roundabout at Hazel Grove, back up the A3 and turn down to get to Haslemere," he said.

He said traffic from Churt and other villages would add to the problem. "At the moment some of the traffic going to Haslemere is syphoned off at Milford, but once the tunnel is built" he warned, "it will all come this way as far as Hindhead and there will be almost as much traffic as there is at the moment."

That, he declared, "is not what a bypass is for".

"If the A3 is left open it will mean a more reasonable spread of traffic."

The other major reason for Mr Harmer's stand is that he believes the tunnel has little to do with local transport issues but more about the "regeneration of Portsmouth".

"My view is that locally we would not be gaining a lot for more than £100 million unless the existing A3 is left open.

"The government is not spending £110 million to save a few trees, but proposing to spend the money for the economic regeneration of Portsmouth. It is because this is an European trunk route which fails to fulfil the standards because it has a sharp bend in the middle of it."

He told The Herald he made his comments because he could not sit in the meeting and say nothing. He added that "the Woolmer Hill Road problem would make things even worse".

Talking about traffic calming plans for the road ahead of the tunnel being built, he said that is was important to reduce rat-running but not to deter essential traffic to Woolmer Hill School or to The Edge sports centre.

He raised concerns about funding for the traffic scheme which could leave SCC having to bid for funds and allocate money in a future year.

"This arrangement is iniquitous. It should be funded by central government, through the Highways Agency, because it is they who are creating the problem."

Haslemere county councillor Christine Stevens agreed and said residents of Woolmer Hill Road "needed to be protected".

"It is an important road and it's important we make it as good as possible."

She also agreed with a report to the meeting that the narrow Boundless Road should not be linked to the A3.

"This proposal is common sense because Haslemere and the surrounding villages suffer terrible rat-running."

Waverley transport manager Phil Crossland said that he believed any traffic-calming scheme should be looked at on an area basis. He said that the Highways Agency would announce a contractor to design and build the tunnel in two weeks' time.

In an article on Page 6 of this week's Herald, Waverley's director of planning and development, Stephen Thwaites, and senior planning officer Adrian Roache, outline the importance of ensuring "planning policies for the urban area are compatible with the National Trust plans for Hindhead Common and the Devil's Punch Bowl.

"Hindhead is the gateway to outstanding open countryside which will be more accessible to visitors when the existing A3 is closed to through traffic."

Mr Thwaites was "unable to comment" on Mr Harmer's views.