ALRESFORD Town Council has U-turned over access from proposed new homes.

At last Thursday’s meeting councillors debated the council’s response to Local Plan Part Two, including access from the proposed Sun Lane site.

The council originally said it would not support access from the development on to Sun Lane, but on Thursday said it will.

After the meeting chairman Cllr Lisa Griffiths said: “It is a change. Initially we put a resolution forward to say there was no access on to Sun Lane but a number of people have expressed views saying that if we shut off that community it will create a ‘ghetto’.

“Some people in Nursery Road have put forward the point that people going to work towards Basingstoke or that direction might start parking in the Nursery Road area.

“It’s a big problem that needs a lot of talking about but shutting it off may cause different circumstances.” Mrs Griffiths said the developer for Sun Lane, which the council voted to support in July, has had meetings with the Sun Hill Action Group, Nursery Road Residents Group, Langton’s Court, and Tichborne Down residents.

“Seawards have held meetings with key stakeholders and said can you see any solutions, so these are comments that have been made by people that live in that area,” she said.

Sam Kerr-Smiley, chairman of the Nursery Road Residents Group, said he is furious about the amendment.

“She is talking utter nonsense. It was discussed briefly at our annual general meeting. She is fully aware that there is a petition with over 360 signatures on it calling for the council not to have vehicular access on to Sun Lane.

“Mrs Griffiths has completely ignored that and taken comments from a meeting with about 20 residents. I am furious with her for what she has done.”

Mr Kerr-Smiley said he didn’t present the petition to the town council because of its original stance for no access. He said he is “thinking about making a complaint about it.” It comes as part of Winchester City Council’s Local Plan Part Two. It requires 500 homes to be built in Alresford between 2011 and 2031, and 386 are yet to be allocated.