8:58am Friday 15th August 2008
By Will Mcmanus
A PETITION signed by over 5,000 Andover residents opposing the possible Andover Airfield mega-shed development has been handed over to Test Valley Borough Council.
The borough's chief executive, Roger Tetstall, received the STOP! Alliance's 5,323-signature petition at Beech Hurst on Wednesday afternoon.
Members of STOP! have run a vigorous campaign opposing the Goodman development that would be used as a distribution warehouse by Tesco, and arrived at the hand-over carrying placards and dressed in black.
Rhonda Smith, STOP! chairman, said: "We've collected signatures from 12 per cent of the Andover population, which we hope will send a clear message to councillors when they make their decision.
"We are continuing to take petition signatures right up to the last day, and other people have handed in petition sheets directly, so there will be a big number to consider. We've said all along that a mixed-use business park will deliver a much better result for the area."
Andover MP Sir George Young, who has supported the campaign, added: "Five-thousand is quite a lot of signatures and the borough council is a democratically elected body, which needs to pay attention to what people feel."
Mr Tetstall said: "I'm sure the councillors will take into account all the material considerations when they come to considering the application."
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk