A PLAN to provide access to a new business park on the side of Lynch Hill via Montecchio Way in Alton has been firmly rejected by councillors.

And they say they are determined their names should not be attached to what they believe could become an accident blackspot.

Instead, they gave their blessing to an alternative plan which would access the designated business site via Waterbrook Road – currently referred to as a ‘ransom strip’, but which the applicant claims to have access to, off Mill Lane.

The first plan up for decision – an outline application by Tanvale Holdings Ltd for the development of up to 7ha of employment land with associated access off Montecchio Way – was turned down by a narrow majority at last Thursday’s meeting of East Hampshire District Council’s (EHDC) Planning Committee.

It received the thumbs down following a determined, passionate debate led by Alton councillors Andrew Joy and Dean Phillips.

They argued that, based on local knowledge, the proposed junction would be a recipe for disaster.

Despite officer recommendation for approval – as Hampshire Highways had not objected to the access point – northern councillors were united in their fear another turning so close to the A31 junction could be a fatality waiting to happen.

Despite the presence of a 40mph speed restriction on Montecchio Way, the consensus among the objectors was some vehicles would still be driving too fast, having come off the A31 which is governed by the national speed limit.

Motorists, it was felt, may not be prepared to encounter slow-moving vehicles manoeuvring into and out of the Lynch Hill site.

While desktop calculations may suggest otherwise, they believed to accept this proposal would

be ‘morally wrong’ and they were not prepared to put motorists’ lives at risk.

Speaking on behalf of the objectors, including Holybourne Village Association, the Alton Society and the Ashdell Ward Residents’ Association, local resident Giles Lock pointed out this was the third time this application had come before committee – and nothing had materially changed since February this year.

He told the meeting: “This revised design for a new road and junction is arguably much worse than the previous proposal, as it sits higher up the hillside and will be much more visible in the immediate surroundings.

“The damage to the general vista on the entry to Alton cannot be underestimated and the loss of amenity to local communities will be considerable.

“We continue to voice and put forward our now well-documented concerns about the dangerous junction on to Montecchio Way.

“Hampshire Highways’ lack of objection aside, we fear public safety will be put at risk as a result of this design proposal.”

While welcoming the allocation of employment land, Cllr Peter Hicks reiterated Alton Town Council’s (ATC) objections on grounds of unacceptable highway access, in countryside outside the employment site designation, which ATC believed would have an “adverse impact on the local community, drivers, traffic flow and increase the risk of accidents.”

|He also flagged up the adverse impact on the landscape of carving up the hillside, and the environmental impact, resulting from the loss of wildlife habitat.

On behalf of Binsted Parish Council – in whose parish the site sits – chairman Ian Salisbury expressed concern also over the negative impact the proposed development would have on one of the key gateways to the historic town of Alton.

He felt the steep access road could be dangerous if vehicles suffered from brake failure in icy conditions when exiting the site on to Montecchio Way.

Binsted Parish Council, he said, would prefer to support the second application, by Jansons West London and Thames Valley Ltd of Beaconsfield, proposing access from Waterbrook Road (off Mill Lane) with the development sitting in a much less intrusive way in the landscape.

Despite a frustrated address from a director of Savills, agent for Tanvale, saying they had been in negotiations for seven years trying to deliver this development to meet EHDC’s employment requirement, the Tanvale application failed, by seven votes to six.

It was turned down on grounds of adverse impact on the landscape, highway safety concerns over the proposed access from Montecchio Way, and failure to provide sufficient evidence the development would achieve safe access for cyclists and pedestrians, which would be contrary to local planning policy.

In the event, councillors were far more supportive of the outline application by Jansons for the provision of a pedestrian, cycle and vehicular access to the allocated employment site on Lynch Hill from Waterbrook Road, which was approved by 12 councillors, with one abstention.