10:53am Monday 15th February 2010
By Warwick Payne
VILLAGERS are keeping up the pressure on transport chiefs to resurface one of the south’s busiest roads.
Some parts of the M3 near Winchester have not been touched since it was completed more than 15 years ago.
Entire sections of the motorway near Basingstoke have recently been replaced with a quieter surface.
That’s left people near Winchester wanting a similar deal, but when repairs were needed last year, the Highways Agency only patched a few isolated spots.
Steve Brine, the Tory prospective parliamentary candidate for Winchester, is now holding talks with party colleague and Basingstoke MP, Maria Miller.
He is seeking advice on how to lobby transport chiefs to provide a quieter surface for Winchester too.
It comes after he started a campaign last autumn with residents who were upset about the issue.
He said: “We know we have a problem right through Winchester with noise from the M3.
“I am now working with neighbouring MPs, such as Maria Miller in Basingstoke, who have achieved success for their constituents, to formulate a plan to re-engage the Highways Agency.”
However, the agency currently has no plans to resurface the M3 at Winchester.
Its stance was confirmed in a letter sent to the parish council in Compton and Shawford, two of the worst affected villages.
To provide the best value for money and keep traffic moving, the agency said it would only replace the surface when it wears out, and not just to reduce noise.
“No major maintenance work such as full carriageway refurbishment is expected to take place within the next four years at this location,” the agency confirmed.
Cllr Una Stevens, from Compton and Shawford Parish Council, said it would maintain the pressure on the agency.
“We haven’t gone away and that’s the secret with these kind of things because you can’t afford to stay quiet,” she said.
“We’ve had to put up with this noise for so long, and I don’t see why we should have to keep putting up with it,” she added.
It is not only residents who have to cope with the noise but also Shepherds Down Special School at Compton.
Ofsted raised the issue in its 2003 report, although on its most recent visit to the school, inspectors no longer saw it as a problem.
Despite several calls, the school did not respond to inquiries about the matter.
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