RESIDENTS living near a once controversial housing development in Kings Worthy are calling for answers over promised road changes.

Last year Winchester City Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the scheme for land off Burnet Lane, Kings Worthy, which is commonly known as Top Field.

A petition signed by 364 people was submitted to the authority prior to approval, but councillors pledged that if the petition was removed, they would guarantee measures to improve traffic congestion at the junction of Springvale Road and Hookpit Farm Lane.

But work started in earlier this year and plans have yet to materialise and neighbours want answers and action before the development is completed.

One of those is Karen McCleery: “We said we would remove the petition, so building has now started on Top Field but nothing has happened to sort out the traffic on the corner.

“We have written three times to councillors saying ‘please can you tell us what is happening on the corner which you promised’ but nothing is happening.”

Karen, who used to be a member of Kings Worthy Parish Council, added: “It just seems that having made these promises we are now being effectively ignored and the traffic is really bad.

“We have done our side of the bargain.”

Last month Karen said she witnessed lorry from the building site park at the junction of Hookpit Lane and Springvale blocking the road causing two children on bikes to have to pull right over as a car came around the corner, blind sighted by the lorry, and narrowly miss the children.

“Every day we see similar issues related to heavy traffic. It would be dreadful if we had an accident here,” she said.

Residents want to see a grass verge removed at the road junction on Hookpit to allow more space for traffic movement, which currently narrows the road to one lane when is parked on by cars.

Other possibilities include painting yellow lines to prevent parking and moving a nearby bus stop and prevent vehicles parking on Springvale to keep vehicles from obstructing the roads.

A spokesperson for Winchester City Council said: “The council is monitoring traffic near the Top Field site. Kings Worthy Parish councillors and the Top Field Action Group are investigating congestion caused by visitors to the Tesco store on Hookpit Farm Lane.”

However residents have said that the city council are the ones investigating a solution to the traffic problem, not the parish or the action group.

The city council spokesperson added: “Construction of a lay-by adjacent to the Tesco Store is currently being considered but is dependent on several factors including viability and effectiveness.”