FEARS are growing that the tranquil countryside around Romsey is about to be shattered by noisy Bournemouth Airport-bound jets.

Bosses at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) have set alarm bells ringing after releasing details of plans to fly planes over Romsey and surrounding villages at night from next April. But it will result in fewer delays for passengers using Central Southern England's two regional airports, says the organisation behind the proposed shake-up of airspace above the Test Valley.

Romsey Extra division member, Roy Perry, has expressed concerns: "In the area in and around Romsey, we face a double whammy from aircraft noise. Southampton Airport is proposing large increases in flights and now the National Air Traffic Services is wanting to bring the flightpath over quiet rural areas around the town.

"Romsey, to my regret, is part of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) area, but I keep telling that body that there remain some rural areas in the south of Hampshire and it should not all be treated as Eastleigh or Southampton.

"We need assurances that the calm of people living in the countryside will not suffer whilst others jet off on cheap holiday flights," said the former Conservative Euro MP.

NATS says a new corridor, at around 6,000 feet, has to be created where aircraft can be split into north-south flows to primarily Bournemouth International Airport, with a few to Southampton International Airport. Pilots will only be able to enter this airspace if directed by air traffic control.

Promising that all views would be taken into consideration when sifting through comments on the plans, a spokesman said skies above the area were currently a "bottleneck" and the proposed changes would minimise delays at the region's airports and free up more airspace.

The proposed new flight corridor covers an area measuring five by 14 nautical miles between Romsey and Andover. It is an extension of existing controlled airspace linking the Midlands with the South.

Basically, the current north-south flightpath in and out of Southampton Airport will move further west to allow planes travelling south to Bournemouth to use it between 5.30pm until midnight and 6am until 9.30am. Parts of the New Forest National Park are affected by the proposals, due to come into operation next April. NATS says the main changes are aimed at reducing the level of flight delays caused by an area of "complex traffic interaction" in the vicinity of Compton navigational beacon, near Newbury.

"The capacity of the airspace will be increased by systemising north-south flows of traffic. This will benefit all traffic transiting the area, including the busy west-east routes to and from Heathrow and Gatwick.

"At peak periods, the number of aircraft that can safely be permitted to fly through this airspace is less than the number that wish to do so. The proposed airspace change will allow for traffic to Bournemouth and Southampton airports to be separated into north-south flows.

"This reorganisation of traffic reduces the workload required by air traffic controllers and enables them to safely handle a great number of flights," said the NATS spokesman, adding that the move would also help reduce climate change because it would mean fewer carbon emissions per flight.

* Anyone worried about the proposals can write to NATS by August 10, at TCSW Consultation Co-ordinator, NATS, CTC Mailbox 5A, 4000 Parkway, Whiteley, Hants PO 15 7FL. For details visit www.nats.co.uk