SIR: Littleton and Harestock Parish Council has indicated that they will not oppose, in principle, the redevelopment of the 40 hectares of brownfield (previously developed) part of the Flowerdown site.

They have suggested the creation of a 25 hectare nature reserve in the northern part of the site. This imaginative idea has considerable local support, and it is good to see our MP, Steve Brine, and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust also support it. It would be good to know the position of the Winchester City Council.

If houses are built on Flowerdown (numbers unknown), considerable traffic bottlenecks will occur.

Andover Road into Winchester: The plan (rightly) is to have access and egress for Flowerdown onto the Andover Road. This will present two problems: a) traffic will turn right and after half a mile will be directed to turn left and snake through the Kings Barton estate.That road is narrow, very close to houses and bisects the community thus hazarding the safety of children and pedestrians. A crazy proposal: most communities seek a bypass but for Kings Barton a bypass is being routed through the community. Additional Flowerdown traffic makes it essential that this decision is reversed, and traffic continues southwards, undiverted, on the Andover Road.

b) Andover Road ends at the five-way traffic lights at the start of the City Road in Winchester. Already this is very congested and the addition of traffic from another 1,750 houses from Kings Barton and the unknown number from Flowerdown will not be accommodated. The city council needs to address this problem.

It should also be noted that around two times each year, there is a breakdown/accident on the A34. When that happens all southbound traffic (including car transporters, HGVs etc) is diverted down Andover Road, through Winchester and back onto the motorway near Twyford. The prospect of this, plus the two new estates’ traffic all passing, nose to tail, through Kings Barton estate beggars belief.

Clive Thompsett,

New Road,

Littleton