Steve Brine says councillors considering the Sun Lane development in Alresford should be prepared to defer a decision until firm assurances are given around the traffic impact of the scheme.
Winchester City Council's Planning Committee is set to hear an outline application from Seaward Developments today (Thursday 21 June) which will see 320 houses built on the site, an industrial space and a new access point onto the A31.
Mr Brine says he is not convinced the long-term impact of the development has been sufficiently considered and questioned the detail available to councillors - and residents - for the new highways arrangements.
Speaking exclusively to the Hampshire Chronicle the MP said; "Winchester has a signed off Local Plan in accordance with Government policy and that rightly includes a quantity of new homes in New Alresford. I am not seeking to re-open that because the town needs new growth if it, and especially its many independent businesses, are to survive.
"Nor am I challenging the decision, made with a great deal of public input, to locate that growth on one site with the appropriate infrastructure and a strategic plan to deliver it.
"The issue is, even at this late stage, we don't have that in sufficient detail for Sun Lane and I think we absolutely should before an informed decision can be made.
"I am especially troubled by the proposed roundabout on the A31, which we should remember is a new addition since the public inquiry, and the apparent lack of detailed plans as to how it would be delivered with the new slip road seemingly very close to existing homes.
"I am acutely aware, not least as someone who lives locally with a young family, that Alresford has benefitted from the A31 bypass for almost 30 years and we need to be very careful before we punch a new hole in that.
"This application has lots on the look and feel of the houses, which is great, but that's for another day when detailed planning permission is sought. What we need now is details around the roads and the ramifications of what is being proposed.
"My message to councillors on the planning committee is, you have one chance to get this right. Deferring the decision has to be better than making the wrong decision because the one you take will have lasting impact on this community."
Pictured; Steve Brine MP at the Sun Lane site adjacent to the A31 and with constituents discussing Seaward's plans.
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